PIRSA:11060094

Living Through Four Revolutions

Dyson, F. (2011). Living Through Four Revolutions. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/11060094

Dyson, Freeman. Living Through Four Revolutions. Perimeter Institute, Jun. 01, 2011, https://pirsa.org/11060094 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:11060094,
            doi = {},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/11060094},
            author = {Dyson, Freeman},
            keywords = {},
            language = {en},
            title = {Living Through Four Revolutions},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2011},
            month = {jun},
            note = {PIRSA:11060094 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Freeman Dyson

Talk numberPIRSA:11060094
Collection
Talk Type Public Lectures

Abstract

I belong to the lucky generation who survived World War Two and unexpectedly found ourselves alive and young at the dawn of four simultaneous revolutions. We were present at the creation of four new technologies that were to continue transforming the world for the following sixty-five years. First revolution, Space, beginning with the first spacecraft, the V2 rocket, which came crashing down on our heads in London in the last year of the war. Second revolution, Nuclear Energy, beginning with the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Third revolution, Genomes, beginning with the experiment of Oswald Avery in 1944 which proved that the molecule DNA was the carrier of genetic information. Fourth revolution, Computers, beginning with the first electronic computer ENIAC which started operation in 1946. All four revolutions burst out within two years and gave us our chance to play small roles in big events. They gave drama and excitement to our lives.