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class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">1940 science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Blowups_Happen" title="Special:EditPage/Blowups Happen">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Blowups+Happen%22">"Blowups Happen"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Blowups+Happen%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Blowups+Happen%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Blowups+Happen%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Blowups+Happen%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Blowups+Happen%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">March 2013</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox vcard"><caption class="infobox-title" style="font-size:125%; font-style:italic; padding-bottom:0.2em;">Blowups Happen <span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=&rft.author=%5B%5BRobert+A.+Heinlein%5D%5D&rft.date=1940&rft.place=%5B%5BUnited+States%5D%5D"></span></caption><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Author</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein" title="Robert A. Heinlein">Robert A. Heinlein</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Language</th><td class="infobox-data">English</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Genre</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Science_fiction" title="Science fiction">Science fiction</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Publication date</div></th><td class="infobox-data">1940</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Publication place</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>"<b>Blowups Happen</b>" is a 1940 <a href="/wiki/Science_fiction" title="Science fiction">science fiction</a> <a href="/wiki/Short_story" title="Short story">short story</a> by American writer <a href="/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein" title="Robert A. Heinlein">Robert A. Heinlein</a>. It is one of two stories in which Heinlein, using only public knowledge of nuclear fission, anticipated the actual development of nuclear technology a few years later. The other story is "<a href="/wiki/Solution_Unsatisfactory" title="Solution Unsatisfactory">Solution Unsatisfactory</a>", which is concerned with a nuclear weapon, although it is only a radiological "<a href="/wiki/Dirty_bomb" title="Dirty bomb">dirty bomb</a>", not a nuclear explosive device. </p><p>The story was first published in <i><a href="/wiki/Astounding_Magazine" class="mw-redirect" title="Astounding Magazine">Astounding Science Fiction</a></i> in 1940, before any nuclear reactors had ever been built, and for its appearance in the 1946 anthology <i><a href="/wiki/The_Best_of_Science_Fiction" title="The Best of Science Fiction">The Best of Science Fiction</a>,</i> Heinlein made some modifications to reflect how a reactor actually worked. In the omnibus <i><a href="/wiki/The_Past_Through_Tomorrow" title="The Past Through Tomorrow">The Past Through Tomorrow</a></i>, "Blowups Happen" is referred to as a 1940 story, but it mentions Hiroshima and Nagasaki, reflecting revisions made in 1946. </p><p>The story made a later appearance in <i><a href="/wiki/The_Worlds_of_Robert_A._Heinlein" title="The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein">The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein</a></i>, a collection of short stories published in 1966. It also appears in his <i><a href="/wiki/Expanded_Universe_(Heinlein)" class="mw-redirect" title="Expanded Universe (Heinlein)">Expanded Universe</a></i> in 1980, but here it appears as it did in <i>Astounding</i> in 1940 and Heinlein writes in an introduction to the story: "I now see, as a result of the enormous increase in the art in 33 years, more errors in the '46 version than I spotted in the '40 version when I checked it in '46". </p><p>The story is one of the earliest in Heinlein's <a href="/wiki/Future_History_(novel)" class="mw-redirect" title="Future History (novel)">Future History</a> chronology, taking place in the late 20th century. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Plot">Plot</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Blowups_Happen&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Plot"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The story describes the tensions among the staff of a <a href="/wiki/Nuclear_reactor" title="Nuclear reactor">nuclear reactor</a>, described as a uranium-powered pile. Heinlein's concept of a nuclear reactor was one of a barely contained explosion, not the steady-state thermal plants developed later. As a consequence, the work is dangerous, and the slightest mistake could be catastrophic. By the time the story starts, all the technical staff are monitored by psychologists who have the authority to remove them from the work at any time lest they crack under the pressure and precipitate a disaster. The monitoring itself contributes to the problem of stress. </p><p>The supervisor calls up Dr. Lentz, a fictional student of <a href="/wiki/Alfred_Korzybski" title="Alfred Korzybski">Alfred Korzybski</a>, to analyze the situation. Lentz determines that there is little to be done, and the reactor will have to be shut down. Another consultant, Captain Harrington of the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Naval_Observatory" title="United States Naval Observatory">United States Naval Observatory</a>, arrives as Lentz is preparing to return home. Harrington has discovered that the calculations on the reactor have greatly underestimated the scale of the destruction, should the reactor go out of control, and proposes that the cratering of the moon is due to an extinct civilization that destroyed itself in such a manner. The situation seems hopeless, as the energy produced by the reactor is sorely needed on Earth, oil having become too scarce and valuable to use for fuel. </p><p>In a parallel subplot, some researchers have discovered a way to blend two isotopes that both solves safety problems and allows for nuclear-powered rockets. Using a method called "calculus of statement", the team uses this discovery, taking into account the social, psychological, physical, and economic variables pressuring the reactor to remain online, and concludes that the reactor should be launched into space to produce the new fuel, which would then be returned to Earth and burned safely in different reactors. The main reactor being in space removes the danger of planetary catastrophe but, by breeding the new fuel, still allows it to produce the needed energy. </p><p>The protagonists have difficulty convincing the board of directors for the reactor of this plan. However, Lentz, speaking for the local manager, finally gets the point across. Lentz explains the danger of the current situation factually, but at their continued refusal, threatens them with public vilification by taking the issue public, while also offering to ennoble them should they shut it down. Finally relenting, a rocket is quickly built. A man goes crazy just as they finish, but is stopped. The reactor is shut down in preparation for being moved. </p><p>In Heinlein's Future History, the next story sequentially is "<a href="/wiki/The_Man_Who_Sold_the_Moon" title="The Man Who Sold the Moon">The Man Who Sold the Moon</a>", in which the reactor indeed explodes in space. The actual cause was the detonation of the service rocket's fuel, caused by the effects of cosmic radiation on the supposedly stable nuclear material. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Reception">Reception</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Blowups_Happen&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Reception"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In 2016, the story was nominated for the 1941 <a href="/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novelette" title="Hugo Award for Best Novelette">Retro-Hugo Award for Best Novelette</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Hugo41_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Hugo41-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Blowups_Happen&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-Hugo41-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Hugo41_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1941-retro-hugo-awards/">"1941 Retro Hugo Awards"</a>. World Science Fiction Society<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2017-04-06</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=1941+Retro+Hugo+Awards&rft.pub=World+Science+Fiction+Society&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehugoawards.org%2Fhugo-history%2F1941-retro-hugo-awards%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABlowups+Happen" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Blowups_Happen&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?41595"><i>Blowups Happen</i></a> title listing at the <a href="/wiki/Internet_Speculative_Fiction_Database" title="Internet Speculative Fiction Database">Internet Speculative Fiction Database</a></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · 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.navbox-even{background-color:#f7f7f7}.mw-parser-output .navbox-odd{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ul,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Robert_A._Heinlein&#039;s_Future_History" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Future_History" title="Template:Future History"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Future_History" title="Template talk:Future History"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Future_History" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Future History"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Robert_A._Heinlein&#039;s_Future_History" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein" title="Robert A. Heinlein">Robert A. Heinlein</a>'s <i><a href="/wiki/Future_History_(Heinlein)" title="Future History (Heinlein)">Future History</a></i></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Collections</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Man_Who_Sold_the_Moon_(short_story_collection)" title="The Man Who Sold the Moon (short story collection)">The Man Who Sold the Moon</a></i> (1950)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Green_Hills_of_Earth_(short_story_collection)" title="The Green Hills of Earth (short story collection)">The Green Hills of Earth</a></i> (1951)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Revolt_in_2100" title="Revolt in 2100">Revolt in 2100</a></i> (1953)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Orphans_of_the_Sky" title="Orphans of the Sky">Orphans of the Sky</a></i> (1963)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Past_Through_Tomorrow" title="The Past Through Tomorrow">The Past Through Tomorrow</a></i> (1967)</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Novels</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Methuselah%27s_Children" title="Methuselah's Children">Methuselah's Children</a></i> (1958)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress" title="The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress">The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress</a></i> (1966)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Time_Enough_for_Love" title="Time Enough for Love">Time Enough for Love</a></i> (1973)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Number_of_the_Beast_(novel)" title="The Number of the Beast (novel)">The Number of the Beast</a></i> (1980)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Cat_Who_Walks_Through_Walls" title="The Cat Who Walks Through Walls">The Cat Who Walks Through Walls</a></i> (1985)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/To_Sail_Beyond_the_Sunset" title="To Sail Beyond the Sunset">To Sail Beyond the Sunset</a></i> (1987)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Pursuit_of_the_Pankera" class="mw-redirect" title="The Pursuit of the Pankera">The Pursuit of the Pankera</a></i> (2020)</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Short <br /> stories</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/Life-Line" title="Life-Line">Life-Line</a>"</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Let_There_Be_Light_(Heinlein_short_story)" title="Let There Be Light (Heinlein short story)">"Let There Be Light"</a></li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Roads_Must_Roll" title="The Roads Must Roll">The Roads Must Roll</a>"</li> <li>"<a class="mw-selflink selflink">Blowups Happen</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Man_Who_Sold_the_Moon" title="The Man Who Sold the Moon">The Man Who Sold the Moon</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Delilah_and_the_Space_Rigger" title="Delilah and the Space Rigger">Delilah and the Space Rigger</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Space_Jockey" title="Space Jockey">Space Jockey</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Requiem_(short_story)" title="Requiem (short story)">Requiem</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Long_Watch" title="The Long Watch">The Long Watch</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Gentlemen,_Be_Seated!" title="Gentlemen, Be Seated!">Gentlemen, Be Seated!</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Black_Pits_of_Luna" title="The Black Pits of Luna">The Black Pits of Luna</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/It%27s_Great_to_Be_Back!" title="It's Great to Be Back!">It's Great to Be Back!</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/%E2%80%94We_Also_Walk_Dogs" title="—We Also Walk Dogs">—We Also Walk Dogs</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Searchlight_(short_story)" title="Searchlight (short story)">Searchlight</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Ordeal_in_Space" title="Ordeal in Space">Ordeal in Space</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Green_Hills_of_Earth" title="The Green Hills of Earth">The Green Hills of Earth</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Logic_of_Empire" title="Logic of Empire">Logic of Empire</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Menace_from_Earth" title="The Menace from Earth">The Menace from Earth</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/%22If_This_Goes_On%E2%80%94%22" title=""If This Goes On—""><span style="padding-left:0.15em;">'</span>If This Goes On—<span style="padding-right:0.15em;">'</span></a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Coventry_(short_story)" title="Coventry (short story)">Coventry</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Misfit_(short_story)" title="Misfit (short story)">Misfit</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Orphans_of_the_Sky" title="Orphans of the Sky">Universe</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Orphans_of_the_Sky" title="Orphans of the Sky">Common Sense</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Characters</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Lazarus_Long" title="Lazarus Long">Lazarus Long</a> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Notebooks_of_Lazarus_Long" title="The Notebooks of Lazarus Long">The Notebooks of Lazarus Long</a></i></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Delos_D._Harriman" title="Delos D. Harriman">Delos D. Harriman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jubal_Harshaw" title="Jubal Harshaw">Jubal Harshaw</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Competent_man" class="mw-redirect" title="Competent man">Competent man</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maureen_Johnson_(Heinlein_character)" title="Maureen Johnson (Heinlein character)">Maureen Johnson</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Andrew_Jackson_Libby" title="Andrew Jackson Libby">Andrew Jackson Libby</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hazel_Stone" title="Hazel Stone">Hazel Stone</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Worlds_of_Robert_A._Heinlein" title="The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein">The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein</a></i> (1966)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Expanded_Universe_(Heinlein)" class="mw-redirect" title="Expanded Universe (Heinlein)">Expanded Universe</a></i> (1980)</li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blowups_Happen&oldid=1253255375">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blowups_Happen&oldid=1253255375</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Short_stories_by_Robert_A._Heinlein" title="Category:Short stories by Robert A. Heinlein">Short stories by Robert A. 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