Richard Rhodes wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about "The Making of" this, which is powered by fission
This sweeping account 
begins in the 19th century, with the discovery of nuclear fission, and continues to 
... From nuclear power's earliest foreshadowing in the work of H.G.... [DOC] [TLE] H-BOMBS DREAMS - NYTimes.com [PAR] Feb 11, 1990 ... By RICHARD RHODES; Richard Rhode's books include ''The Making of the 
Atomic Bomb,'' for which he won a Pulitzer Prize.