During the early 1940’s atomic science had just began to mature. Many people were exploring the powerful mystery of the atom. Two of those people were Eugene Booth and John Dunning, who, in 1941, synthesized uranium-235. Immense scientific growth followed their contribution, since it allowed for nuclear fission (Griffith). In the years following this discovery, nuclear science took a turn. Once only used as a constructive power source, atoms began being explored for their destructive power. In 1942 the United States government funded the Manhattan Project that sole goal was to develop a nuclear bomb. The initiator for this endeavor was surprisingly the famous scientist Albert Einstein. He wrote to Franklin D. Roosevelt , and tipped him off …show more content…
The Manhattan Project was just another preparation for the impending war. In regards to keeping the project a secret, the government had to maintain secrecy to ensure no other enemy was able to develop nuclear warheads. Lastly the bombings were necessary to bring World War II to end. After the end of the first world war, Germany was in a catastrophic state. With a worthless economy and a confused political scene, it was only a matter of time for Hitler to take power. He argued for revenge on the allies. This obviously was very disturbing to Americans. As the Germans prepared for war, the allies were also preparing. In 1939 the scientific community learned that the Nazi’s were on the verge of discovering the power of the atom. Out of fear of persecution, scientist Albert Einstein left Germany and Enrico Fermi left Italy. With this new knowledge that the Nazi’s were developing an atom bomb, Fermi went to Washington to express his concerns. Initially the government ignored his warning, but when Einstein wrote President Roosevelt, he took Einstein 's warning seriously and agreed to start atomic energy research. The Manhattan Project originated out of fear of world destruction. The Germans were rumored to be developing nuclear warheads, and this was the reason that Roosevelt was justified in approving the Manhattan Project. Much like in any other war, rumor are taken seriously. It is unknown if the Nazi’s actually developed a nuke. Historians
It became known that the German knew how to create an atomic bomb and FDR created a committee to study and create atomic bombs, named the Manhattan Project.The Manhattan Project was significant to the war because it led to the end of World War II and caused the Japanese to surrender to the Americans. The amount of people working together along with the cost and time which led to advancements in technology that was far ahead of any enemy. The creation of the bombs delivered a push in the advancement of science, innovation, designing, military and the entire of society into another age. It drew out the powerhouse that we consider today to be the United States of
As the engineers and scientists of the Manhattan Project began further research on the creation of the atomic bomb, they quickly ran into one of their first major problems. Making nuclear fuel to power the bomb quickly proved to be a major predicament. The Clinton Engineer
In 1939 the president of America, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was informed that the axis powers scientists have discovered how to split the uranium atom. The power produced by this is very large and could be used as a nuclear weapon against the Allies. Before WWII America knew that nuclear weapons were being studied and were afraid the axis powers would discover it first. Thankfully Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi fled their countries to inform the American president on how dangerous this could potentially be. Einstein eventually wrote a letter to roosevelt, telling him the seriousness of this power, and urging Roosevelt to create a research program for their own atomic bomb. Roosevelt eventually agreed but told his scientists to proceed
Even before the outbreak of War, the United States was concerned with a fascist regime in Europe researching in nuclear weapons. In retaliation, the United States began to fund an atomic weapon development program which became known as “The Manhattan Project” led by J. Robert Oppenheimer. Over the next several years, the Manhattan project started obtaining key materials such as Uranium-235 and Plutonium and testing prototypes until they reached a working model (Coroner).
Necessity is the mother of invention. Michael Blow wrote in his book, The History of the Atomic Bomb, that the United States was building an atomic weapon for the main purpose of beating the Germans to the creation of the bomb (95-96). After uranium was used to create atomic fission in Berlin in 1939, Albert Einstein and other scientists wrote a letter to Roosevelt, talking him into government funding for atomic research in America (Foner and Garraty, “Manhattan” n. pag.). In a bit of irony, American leaders believed that the Germans, in the race to create the ultimate weapon, were beating them. In actuality, however, they never got far in their research, and America defeated them by a sizeable amount (Blow 96). In the United States, research for the “Manhattan Project,” the code name for the secret project to use atomic energy to create a bomb, expanded all around the country. This included universities such as Columbia, Princeton, California, and Chicago. While the research had been independent and government funded up until the middle of 1942, the army took over guidance of the project at that point. The possibility of an atomic bomb had become too realistic to keep the research in the private sector (Foner and Garraty, “Manhattan”).
Well known scientist Albert Einstein, who fled from Nazi persecution, and Enrico Fermi who escaped Fascist Italy, were now living in the United States, on which they both agreed that the President should be enlightened of the vulnerability of atomic technology that was in the hands of Axis power. Fermi made an attempt and travelled to Washington in March to express his involvement with the government officials, who showed little to no concern. Einstein who as well shared a great concern in this topic; penned a letter to President Roosevelt imploring the development of an atomic research program later that year. Roosevelt saw neither prerequisite nor adequacy for such a project, but agreed to proceed gradually. In late 1941, the American effort to scheme and build an atomic bomb which received the code name as the Manhattan Project. The very first research was placed at only a few universities such as Columbia University, University of Chicago, and the University in California at Berkeley. The
On August 2, 1939, just before the beginning of World War II, Albert Einstein wrote to then President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Einstein and several other scientists told Roosevelt of efforts in Nazi Germany to purify uranium-235, which could be used to build an atomic bomb. It was shortly thereafter that the United States Government began the serious undertaking known then only as "The Manhattan Project." Simply put, the Manhattan Project was committed to expediting research that would produce a viable atomic bomb.
On August 2, 1938, in the heat of World War II, Albert Einstein, a physicist born in Germany, sent a letter to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States. The letter suggested America to build an atomic bomb before the Nazi Germany does. However, it took more than two months for the letter to reach Roosevelt. On October 19, 1938, Roosevelt agreed, replying, “I found this data of such import that I have convened a Board … to thoroughly investigate the possibilities of your suggestion regarding the element of uranium” (“President Roosevelt's response to Dr. Einstein”). As a result, America held a secret program, code named Manhattan Project, and started to build new, destructive weapons in a laboratory in Los Alamos,
The origins of the Manhattan Project go back to 1939, when Hungarian-born physicist Leo Szilard, who had moved to the U.S. in 1938 to conduct research at Columbia University, became convinced of the feasibility of using nuclear chain reactions to create new, powerful bombs. German scientists had just conducted a successful nuclear fission experiment, and based on those results, Szilard was able to demonstrate that uranium was capable of producing a nuclear chain reaction. Szilard noted that Germany
In 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor the U.S. was seeking a way to design an atomic bomb. Doing this would win World War II for the United States. The government tried and succeeded in acquiring all the materials and employees needed to do the job. One of those people was Enrico Fermi who led a small group and conducted the first controlled nuclear chain reaction. Now that milestones were reached to keep secret research was only to be based at few universities. Again, the reaching of milestones not only made secrecy a priority but also now the funds would
“ The atom bomb was no ‘great decision.’ It was merely another powerful weapon in the arsenal of righteousness.” This quote was said by Harry S. Truman the first President who used an atomic bomb. The program that was able to create this monstrous power was known as the Manhattan Project. Creating this weapon was their main priority. The United States was in the midst of World War 2. The atomic bomb is considered to be the main factor that ended that war. It was a race against the multiple enemies of the United States, to be the first to acquire this power and use it when necessary. The Manhattan Project was kept strictly confidential and, created the foundation of the future and more powerful nuclear weapons to come.
World War II spanned from September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945 and resulted in approximately 80 million deaths worldwide. In 1939, German scientists made an incredible discovery in nuclear science, leading to the high possibility of a Nazi atomic bomb. As soon as word broke out, Albert Einstein frantically reached out to Roosevelt, explaining that the United States needed to beat the Axis powers in developing this new, deadly weapon. In the early 1940s, the United States government and the country’s smartest scientists had began to build one of the deadliest weapons in history.
In the summer of 1939, Einstein, along with another scientist, Leo Szilard, was persuaded to write a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to alert him of the possibility of a Nazi bomb. President Roosevelt could not risk the possibility that Germany might develop an atomic bomb first. The letter is believed to be the key factor that motivated the United States to investigate the development of nuclear weapons. Roosevelt invited Einstein to meet with him and soon after the United States initiated the Manhattan Project (M. Talmey).
When the secret to building the ultimate weapon was discovered, the race began to see who could build one first. German physicists unearthed the secret to nuclear fission, splitting a uranium atom, word quickly spread in the science world. A weapon could be created using the newly uncovered truth behind nuclear fission, it could be used to create a very destructive weapon. Eugene Wigner and Leo Szilard, Hungarian physicists, went to Albert Einstein for help to get a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt, explaing the current debacle. They were afraid that if the Germans got their hands on such a powerful weapon, the whole world would be in danger. Alexander Sachs delivered the letter to the president, and he ordered that the bomb be created. The bomb was made using uranium nitrate in lukewarm neutrons, which in turn, transmitted microscopic
In 1941, The United States began an atomic bomb program called the “Manhattan Project.” The main objective of the “Manhattan Project” was to research and build an atomic bomb before Germany could create and use one against the allied forces during World War II. German scientists had started a similar research program four years before the United States began so the scientists of the “Manhattan Project” felt a sense of urgency throughout their work (Wood “Men … Project”).