Tickling the Dragon’s Tail

The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it. —Thucydides

* * *

Dr. Louis Slotin was a brilliant young physicist. Only thirty-four years old, he had been working at Los Alamos on the super-secret Manhattan Project since 1943. He was known to be a quiet, reserved man, and yet one who was attracted to dangerous assignments.

Perhaps that’s what drew him to an experiment that would ultimately kill him.

Most of us are in awe of the work done on the Manhattan Project. Names like Oppenheimer, Bohr, Fermi, and others who worked there defined much of nuclear physics research in the mid-twentieth century. Yet despite the magnificent brain power, one of the experiments that was required in order to construct an atomic bomb was surprisingly primitive.

“Critical mass” is a term that describes the condition that occurs when the amount of fissionable material brought together is enough to start a nuclear chain reaction. In an effort to determine critical mass in the Los Alamos lab, a human operator would bring two hemispheres of such material close together until the mass just started to go critical. A Geiger counter and a neutron monitor would gauge the radiation emitted by the two lumps of metal. The goal was to get the assembly to begin to go critical but stop before it became dangerously over-critical and released lethal amounts of radiation.

Louis Slotin had performed this experiment dozens of times using a simple screwdriver as a lever to control the approach of one lump of material toward the other. He referred to the procedure as “tickling the dragon’s tail.”

On a fateful day in May 1946, Dr. Slotin was in the lab. Amazingly, there were visitors in the room to observe the operation.  According to an article on the Canadian Nuclear Society website,

The experiment involved creating the beginning of a fission reaction by bringing together two metal hemispheres of highly reactive, beryllium-coated plutonium.

Seven people watched as Slotin brought one hemisphere close to the other. The Geiger counter ticked a little faster.

Then Slotin’s hand slipped, and the upper hemisphere of metal fell onto the lower one causing a hard release of radiation. The Geiger Counter went crazy, then stopped completely, and people in the room reported a strange blue glow.

Slotin lunged forward and flipped the top hemisphere of beryllium off and onto the floor. Nine days later, Dr. Louis Slotin died in a hospital from the results of radiation poisoning. Miraculously, none of the other people in the room succumbed.

* * *

I have read “The Strange Death of Louis Slotin” by Stewart Alsop and Ralph E. Lapp several times. Each time I read it, I’m surprised by the crude contraption used to determine critical mass. The scientists at Los Alamos would have known better than anyone else how dangerous a mistake could be.

I’m even more surprised by the willingness of anyone, especially someone with a clear understanding of the risk, to volunteer to run the experiment. But there are those people who not only enjoy a sense of danger, but even seek it out. Those to whom “tickling the dragon’s tail” is an essential part of their lives.

* * *

It makes me wonder. Who are these people who enjoy living on the edge? Are there many of them?

Last week, Alan mentioned a test pilot friend of his had died while flying an experimental aircraft. It reminded me of books I’ve read about test pilots, and I wonder what it takes for a man or woman to climb into a contraption that’s never been tested before, and take off. I think of the Wright brothers, Charles Lindbergh, and Chuck Yeager.

And what about those ultimate test pilots, the astronauts? Can you imagine sitting on top of a rocket with a few hundred thousand gallons of fuel underneath you, and blasting off to be the first to land on the moon? Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were willing.

Maybe those are the extreme examples. More down to earth (pun intended) are police and fire fighters whose livelihoods embrace danger.

And then there are fictional characters who refuse to back away like Atticus Finch, James Bond, or Sam Spade. How about Nancy Drew?

Writing mysteries, thrillers or suspense means we create characters who deal with danger in a variety of ways. Some are attracted to it, some run away, and others don’t seek it out, but stand and fight.

So TKZers: Do you have favorite fictional characters who love to push the envelope? How about the characters in your books? How do they handle danger?

* * *

 

Private pilot Cassie Deakin doesn’t go looking for danger, but she lands right in the middle of it when she searches for the key to a mystery—and finds a murderer.

Available at  AmazonBarnes & NobleKoboGoogle Play, or Apple Books.

26 thoughts on “Tickling the Dragon’s Tail

  1. Spillane’s Mike Hammer certainly heads into danger when he’s, ahem, “triggered” by bad guys, or filled with revenge motive. The rage of Achilles. My own Mike Romeo has that, too, and it makes (IMO) for a compelling inner battle. Spillane really brings that out most explicitly in the best of the series, One Lonely Night.

    Me? No exteremes. No skydiving or bungee jumping, thank you very much. No Tower of Terror at Disneyland. Once was too many. I live an exciting life vicarioiusly through my characters as I type them in the comfort of my office.

    • Good morning, Jim.

      Those are great examples. I haven’t read One Lonely Night, so I’ll add it to the list.

      As for me, I never could understand people who jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

  2. My first thought wasn’t books but TV – MacGyver 😎 He found himself in no end of difficult scrapes but wasn’t deterred.

  3. Nope nope nope NOPE. There was a small amusement park that was a frequent treat when I was a little kid. My dad offered me a dollar to ride the roller coaster (which was tiny) and I refused. A dollar to a kid in those days was a LOT of money.
    And, Mr. Bell, I never even tried the Tower of Terror. I did ride the Matterhorn, though.
    My Blackthorne, Inc. characters, on the other hand, risk their lives all the time. But they’re trained and know what they’re doing.

    • I’m not a thrill seeker, either, Terry. Although I did ride a roller coaster once called the “Tidal Wave” that did a 360 degree loop. I’ve gotten older and wiser since then.

      Have a good week.

  4. Thanks for that interesting story about Slotin, Kay.

    A number of cops, firefighters, and military personnel I know freely admit to being adrenaline junkies. They love the rush, the excitement that they only feel from danger. Thank goodness they do it so the rest of us don’t have to!

    A movie example that comes to mind is John Wick who goes after murderous thugs who killed his puppy. Not much would make me angry enough to take extreme risks but that comes close.

    • Good morning, Debbie.

      “Thank goodness they do it so the rest of us don’t have to!” I agree.

      I haven’t seen John Wick, but I can understand someone taking revenge after a puppy is killed. Grrr.

  5. Do you remember Matilda from Roald Dahl’s children’s book? That was a bold, brave character who stood up to the most terrifying adults! She stood for what was right rather than what would keep her and others safe.

    • Good morning, Priscilla.

      Thanks for mentioning Matilda. I hadn’t even thought about children, but they can be especially keen on doing the right thing.

      Have a good week.

  6. For me, the most believable and entertaining stories are about characters who don’t look for trouble, but rise to the challenge when trouble comes after them. I’m thinking of Humphrey Van Weyden from The Sea Wolf. A close second is when the protag must take a stand because duty and honor demand it, such as Marshal Kane in High Noon.

    • Thanks for mentioning High Noon, Mike. Another great example of someone who wouldn’t run away from danger.

      For some reason your comment made me think about members of the armed forces who have been called to face danger throughout history. Ordinary people demonstrating extraordinary feats of courage.

  7. I think of Sanborn’s Lucas Davenport (it’s been fun to watch his character age into family man while still gunning for the bad guy), Connelly’s Harry Bosch (everybody counts or nobody counts). But some of my favorites are the women of the P.I. genre, Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski, Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone, Mullins’s Sharon McCone, and Stabenow’s Kate Shugak. What they all have in common is an insatiable desire for justice that refuses to quit even when facing insurmountable odds. Like first responders, they rush in when others run away. I’m a complete fraidy-cat, so I live vicariously through my characters. (And Mike Romeo is also a favorite for his complicated psyche and his inability to turn away or let it go when he sees an injustice.

    • That’s a great list, Kelly. I also love the complexity of the Mike Romeo character.

      And speaking about complexity, you made me think of Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. There was a character who was trying to get himself killed.

      Have a good week.

  8. Terrific post, Kay. Even cozy mystery sleuths will take risks. Perhaps not as extreme as a favorite urban fantasy hero, Harry Dresden, who, in the hard boiled private detective mold, was always engaged, usually desperately so, in dangerous actions to right a wrong.

    But sleuths like baker Hannah Swenson or yes, my own librarian hero Meg Booker, usually have to take risky action in order to solve a crime, bring a killer to justice, and in the process restore the balance and order in their communties.

    Have a great week!

    • Good morning, Dale.

      Glad you brought up the cozies. Amateur sleuths are my favorites. They’re not out to look for trouble and don’t have sophisticated training, but they’re smart and determined to find the truth.

      Have a good week.

  9. My father loved the story of Louis Slotin. Someone who knew how risky his experiment was and did it anyway. Radiation poisoning wasn’t Slotin’s biggest risk. Had the two balls gotten too close he would have created a several mile across crater.

    About a year ago I revisited a part of St. Louis where I worked. As I drove those streets I realized who young and dumb I was. To quote another airplane story, “My mind was writing checks my body couldn’t cash.” I knew the risks and did it for money. Like I said, I was young and dumb.

    • “Young and dumb.” We can all relate to that.

      Thanks to you, Alan, for mentioning your test pilot friend which got me thinking about people who put themselves in danger on purpose.

      (Btw, I don’t think an explosion would have occurred. Alsop and Lapp explained, “In order to generate true explosive power, the critical mass must somehow be held together by an outside force—this is called ‘maintaining assembly.'” Still, an enormous amount of radiation was released when the top hemisphere of beryllium fell onto the bottom one.)

  10. Thank you for mentioning Carol Fiore’s book about her husband. He became a test pilot for the same reason he flew F-15s for the Air Force. He took risks to keep other people safe.

  11. Hi Kay! Late to the party I am.

    Great post…

    I choose our own John Gilstrap’s character, Jonathan Grave.

    A man who’s not afraid to push the envelope to do the right thing. Sometimes when I’m reading, I forget he’s fictional… 😬

    Happy Monday!

  12. I’ve worked with test pilots for almost thirty years now. In general, they’re the most rational people you will ever meet. However, after analyzing all the risks and eliminating the ones they can, they accept the remainder and go fly. About twenty years ago, I was at the debrief for a V-22 test flight.that was being flown to characterize the vortex ring state, a condition causes twin rotor rotary wing aircraft to lose lift on one rotor. The aircraft entered VRS sooner than expected. It abruptly flipped over on its back and fell, upside down, tail low. The pilot recovered and landed uneventfully. At the debrief, someone asked him about the incident. He said, “I almost called for a Pettibone (a maintenance crane) to get me out of the seat.” We all gave him a blank look. “When that plane flipped, I clenched so hard half the seat went up my ass.”
    As for my characters, I wrote what I know. There are superheroes, mad scientists, and lots of bureaucacy.

    • What a fascinating career you must have, Bill. I’d love to know the titles of the book(s) you wrote.

      Great line: “There are superheroes, mad scientists, and lots of bureaucacy.”

  13. Thanks, it;s my first book (that I’d admit to). It’s due back to my editor for the copy edit next week. After that, and some betas get their chance to shame and humiliate me, I’ll be querying. I’m calling it “The Good Ride” but, if I can sell it, I’m sure the publisher will completely ignore my suggestion.
    It’s been an interesting ride.

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