48 pages 1 hour read

Chris Wallace, Mitch Weiss

Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2020

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Key Figures

Chris Wallace (The Author)

Born in 1947, Chris Wallace is the son of the renowned news correspondent, Mike Wallace. His stepfather was Bill Leonard, the president of CBS News. After graduating high school he attended Harvard University, and began working for the Boston Globe right out of college. From there, he would go on to work for NBC News (13 years), ABC News (14 years), Fox News (18 years), and CNN in a career spanning 50 years. Chris Wallace currently anchors the Fox News Sunday program. He has won three Emmy Awards for his work.

Over the years, Wallace has been at the center of numerous major political events. He moderated the 2016 debate between presidential candidates Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump, and was subsequently chosen to moderate the following election’s presidential debate as well between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Over the years, Wallace has gained a reputation for being an aggressive, insightful, and determined reporter. Apart from Countdown 1945, he has also written First Lady: A Portrait of Nancy Reagan (1986) and Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage (2004).

Harry S. Truman

Elected to federal office as the Vice President of Franklin Roosevelt, Truman became president after Roosevelt’s untimely death on April 12th, 1945. Truman was born and raised in Missouri and as a young man would fight in the trenches in World War I.