The Lessons of the War

This year's Reith Lecturer is the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh Sir Edward Appleton. From 1939 to 1949 he was Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and in 1947 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the knowledge of the ionosphere, which led to the development of radar. In his Reith series entitled 'Science and the Nation', he considers the importance of science.

In his second lecture entitled 'The Lessons of the War', Professor Appleton explores the scientific lessons we can draw from the experiences of the Second World War. He considers how the public perception of science and scientists changed at this time.