Manhattan  Project 

           In 1939, Leo Szillard and Albert Einstein convinced Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president of the United States, to begin the building of an atomic bomb in secret.  General Leslie Groves was given complete control over the Manhattan project (to build the atomic bomb).  In late 1941, after the United States entered the war, Groves chose J. Robert Oppenheimer to be project director.  Oppenheimer then brought together some of the world’s greatest physicists.  

          Many of the physicists were experiencing morale issues because of the responsibility of creating such a weapon.  Oppenheimer later wrote the work, "Seemed almost macabre." until Neils Bohr, Nobel Prize winning scientist, joined in the middle of the project.  Bohr often reminded scientists what they where working for and helped Oppenheimer lead the group towards the goal.

           In July of 1945, the first atomic bomb test was done.  When Oppenheimer saw the mushroom cloud he quoted the Bhagavagita by saying, “I am become death, destroyer of worlds.”  On August 6, "Little Boy", an atomic bomb using Uranium was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.  Three days later, "Fat Man", a Plutonium bomb was exploded over Nagasaki, Japan.  Japan immediately surrendered.  Both  J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life and warfare would never be the same.

Left: http://www.lanl.gov/history/atomicbomb/ images/BlastMainShot653994.jpg

A picture of an atomic bomb exploding.

Right:  http://www.achievement.org/ achievers/pau0/large/pau0-018.jpg