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Sakharov (1921-1989) was a Soviet physicist who became, in the words
of the Nobel Peace Committee, a spokesman for the conscience of mankind.
He was fascinated by fundamental physics and cosmology, but first he
spent two decades designing nuclear weapons. He came to be regarded
as the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, contributing perhaps
more than anyone else to the military might of the USSR. But gradually
Sakharov became one of the regime's most courageous critics, a defender
of human rights and democracy. He could not be silenced, and helped
bring down one of history's most powerful dictatorships. This exhibit
tells about Sakharov's extraordinary life.