Niels Bohr revolutionized physics with his model of the atom, built the Copenhagen institute that became the world capital of quantum mechanics, and then fled Nazi-occupied Denmark in a fishing boat with the formula for the atomic bomb in his head. His life spanned the transformation of physics from abstract theory to the most destructive force humanity had ever created.

This episode traces Bohr from his early atomic model through the golden age of quantum theory in Copenhagen, his dramatic escape from the Nazis, his work on the Manhattan Project, and his postwar crusade to prevent nuclear war.

• Bohr’s revolutionary atomic model and the quantum leaps that rewrote chemistry and physics
• The Copenhagen institute that trained a generation of quantum pioneers
• His dramatic escape from Nazi-occupied Denmark by fishing boat and bomber
• Bohr’s role in the Manhattan Project and his failed campaign for nuclear openness