The secret history of nuclear weapons episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 17, 2026 · 33 MIN

The secret history of nuclear weapons

from The Bunker – News without the nonsense · host Podmasters

With Trump’s war to (he claims) end Iran’s nuclear programme pushing the world to the brink, the question of who has the Bomb and why feels more urgent than ever. But the untold story of how nuclear weaponry proliferated and shaped our world is even stranger than most of us know. Historian David Holloway, author of Nuclear Weapons: An International History, explores how the Bomb reshaped global politics with Dorian Lynskey. From the US-Soviet arms race to the rise of “Mutual Assured Destruction”, we came closer to destruction that we knew. How did we avoid it – and will we always be as lucky? • Buy David’s book Nuclear Weapons: An International History through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll be helping the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey. Producer: Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Trump’s war to (he claims) end Iran’s nuclear programme pushing the world to the brink, the question of who has the Bomb and why feels more urgent than ever. But the untold story of how nuclear weaponry proliferated and shaped our world is even stranger than most of us know. Historian David Holloway, author of Nuclear Weapons: An International History, explores how the Bomb reshaped global politics with Dorian Lynskey. From the US-Soviet arms race to the rise of “Mutual Assured Destruction”, we came closer to destruction that we knew. How did we avoid it – and will we always be as lucky? • Buy David’s book Nuclear Weapons: An International History through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll be helping the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey. Producer: Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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The secret history of nuclear weapons

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This episode was published on March 17, 2026.

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With Trump’s war to (he claims) end Iran’s nuclear programme pushing the world to the brink, the question of who has the Bomb and why feels more urgent than ever. But the untold story of how nuclear weaponry proliferated and shaped our world is even...

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