Summary
Overview
This is part two of a three-part series on physicist Richard Feynman, exploring his transition from Los Alamos to teaching at Caltech, his groundbreaking work in quantum electrodynamics that earned him a Nobel Prize, his unique teaching philosophy, and his complex personal life. The episode reveals both his scientific brilliance and his controversial behavior, particularly toward women, while examining his influence as both scientist and teacher.
The Trinity Test and Post-War Depression
Feynman witnessed the first atomic bomb test in 1945 as part of the Manhattan Project team. The experience profoundly affected him, leading to deep depression after seeing the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He became convinced that humanity would destroy itself with nuclear weapons, watching people build bridges and thinking they didn't understand that everything would soon be destroyed. This dark period followed the deaths of both his father and his first wife, Arlene.
- Feynman described the Trinity test flash as so bright he saw a purple afterimage, followed by a white light changing to yellow and orange
- After the atomic bombs were dropped, Feynman believed it was senseless to make anything because it would all be destroyed soon
- For five years after the war, Feynman taught at Cornell but was depressed and restless, having difficulty engaging in his work
" My first reaction after I was finished with this thing was, it's useless to make anything. I really believe that it was senseless to make anything because it would all be destroyed very soon anyway. "
From Brazil to California: A Fresh Start
Seeking escape from depression and cold New York winters, Feynman traveled to Brazil for six weeks, then returned for a sabbatical year teaching in Rio. The beaches, sun, and samba music helped revive his spirits and creativity. This experience led him to leave Cornell permanently for the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena in 1950, where the open sky and sunny weather provided the fresh start he desperately needed.
- Feynman spent his sabbatical year teaching at the Brazilian Center for Research in Physics in Rio, partly funded by the U.S. State Department
- He wrote to physicist Enrico Fermi that he got lots of ideas at the beach
- California represented a fresh start with open sky and sunny weather, similar to his Los Alamos experience
- Feynman joined Caltech in 1950 and stayed there for 38 years until his death
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