David Bodanis
David Bodanis was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Bodanis attended The University of Chicago where he received a Bachelor's degree.
David Bodanis is an American author, speaker, and businessman. Bodanis studied mathematics, physics, and economics at the University of Chicago. He’s lived in France and now lives in London.
In 2001, David Bodanis released
E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation, which was translated into 20 languages and longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction. In 2005, it became a Channel 4 documentary, later aired on PBS as Einstein's Big Idea. In 2009, it was adapted into a ballet by the Birmingham Royal Ballet, directed by David Bintley, and won the South Bank Award for Best British Dance.
In 2006, Bodanis published
Electric Universe: How Electricity Switched on the Modern World, which won the Royal Society Prize for Best Science Book of the Year. He stirred controversy by donating the prize money to the family of Dr. David Kelly.
That same year, Bodanis wrote
Passionate Minds, about Émilie du Châtelet, a brilliant but overlooked French scientist, and her intellectual relationship with Voltaire. The book was BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week in June 2006 and was featured on the cover of
The Economist.
In 2013, Bodanis contributed an essay, "Computer-Generated Fascism," to John Brockman's
Edge Question series What Should We Be Worried About? . In 2016, he published
Einstein’s Greatest Mistake: The Life of a Flawed Genius, with an essay featured on NPR that December. In November 2020, he released
The Art of Fairness: The Power of Decency in a World Turned Mean.
David Bodanis’
E=MC² is an intriguing mix of science history and biography that tells of Albert Einstein’s famous equation. Written in a lively, accessible style, the book starts in 1905 with Einstein working at the Bern Patent Office before breaking down the equation into its components: energy, the equals sign, mass, the speed of light (did you know the “c” comes from celeritas, Latin for “swiftness”?), and the squared term.
The book isn’t just about science—it’s full of gripping historical stories. For example, Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier’s obsession with precise measurements and his tragic beheading during the French Revolution. Michael Faraday’s discoveries about electricity and magnetism, and the rivalry with his mentor Humphrey Davy.
E=MC² builds to a climax with the Manhattan Project, where J. Robert Oppenheimer led the U.S. to develop the atomic bomb, while the German effort failed. Bodanis also profiles other key figures in nuclear science, like Lise Meitner, Enrico Fermi, and Ernest Rutherford, and paints some in a harsh light (Heisenberg and Otto Hahn) and others as heroes (Meitner and Fermi). This is a must-read for anyone interested in science, history, or the human stories behind groundbreaking discoveries. It’s both educational and entertaining- a rare gem in nonfiction.
David Bodanis: Awards & Accolades
Bodanis' book, The Secret Family won the Alex Awards, Best Book, in 1998.
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David Bodanis: F.A.Q
Where was David Bodanis Born?
David Bodanis was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA and is American.
What book awards has David Bodanis won?
Bodanis' book, The Secret Family won the award Alex Awards, Best Book, in 1998.
What was the first book David Bodanis wrote?
The first book written by David Bodanis was The Body Book: A Fantastic Voyage to the World Within, published in 1984.
What was the most recent book David Bodanis wrote?
His most recently released work was Art of Fairness: The Power of Decency in a World Turned Mean on November 5th, 2020.
Will there be any more books by David Bodanis?
David Bodanis does not have any upcoming books with a set publication date within the next few months at this time.
How many books has David Bodanis written?
David Bodanis has written 11 books. 3 books in the Secrets Series, 1 book in the Collections, 7 books in the Non-Fiction Books.