The Manhattan Project

1693 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Nuclear advancement in nuclear post wwii

As recently as 1930, even famous physicists like Ernest Rutherford and Albert Einstein knew there were huge amounts of energy inside of atoms, but didn’t have any way to release it. Things started to change quickly starting in the 1930s. In 1932, Sir John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton were able to cause a nuclear reaction for the first time by artificially accelerated particles, and then in 1934, Irene Curie, Frederic Curie, and Enrico Fermi separately made artificial radioactivity by colliding atoms with alpha particles and neutrons. Coupled with the possibility of a chain reaction for a tremendous amount of energy release, people began to realize that nuclear fission could be used as a powerful weapon.

US history.org march 2014

On August 2nd 1939, a Hungarian Jewish refugee in the United States Leo Szilard wrote a letter with Albert Einstein, urging President Franklin Roosevelt to start funding for atomic research so that they could apply the research as a weapon. (Gene Dannon 1996) The letter reached Roosevelt's desk in September, who agreed with the scientists cry for help, and authorized the creation of the Uranium Committee under Lyman Briggs, which began research programs at the Naval Research Lab in Washington D.C. in 1939. In 1940, the Uranium Committee was absorbed into the larger National Defense Research Committee. Progress was slow, because of the low sense of urgency as the United States had not entered the war yet.

US history.org march 2014

Meanwhile, scientists in Britain also started on a similar mission. In March 1940, at the University of Birmingham, research done by Otto Frisch and Rudolf Peierls eventually led to the Scientific Survey of Air Warfare's finding that an uranium bomb could b...

... middle of paper ...

...lt, Rinehart and Winston, 1968. Print

"Einstein to Roosevelt, August 2, 1939." Einstein's Letter to Roosevelt, August 2, 1939. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

Broad, William J. "Why They Called It the Manhattan Project." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Oct. 2007. Web.

"Key Issues: Nuclear Weapons: History: Pre Cold War: Manhattan Project." Key Issues: Nuclear Weapons: History: Pre Cold War: Manhattan Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.

"The Manhattan Project." The Manhattan Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.

"The First Atomic Bomb Blast, 1945." The First Atomic Bomb Blast, 1945. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

N.p., n.d. Web. .

N.p., n.d. Web. .

N.p., n.d. Web. .

Show More
Related

  • What Are the Positive and Negative Effects of the Manhattan Project?

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    The development of atomic bomb boosted the level of understanding in terms of physics and chemistry of that particular time period. Physicists started to realize that stable nuclei can be converted to unstable nuclei. Through such process, they discovered that heavy nuclei can undergo nuclear fission. While testing, they added a neutron to an isotope of Uranium 235. This resulted Uranium 235 to become unstable and break down into Barium and Krypton, releasing two to three more neutrons. The breakdown of Uranium 235 is called “fission”. When the released neutrons attach to other isotopes of Uranium 235, this can result in a chain reaction of fission. For every generation of fission, the amount of fission is doubled, and this resulted in an extreme outburst of energy. The amount of energy released by this process is related to Einstein’s famous equation “E=mc^2” (Wolf).

    Read More

  • Jeff Hughes: The Manhattan Project

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Manhattan project, Jeff Hughes claims that the development of atomic weapons in World War II did not create “Big Science,” but simply accelerated trends in scientific research and development that had already taken place. Hughes was able to support his argument by introducing the Big science and the atomic bomb which was a main factor of World War II. Hughes introduce “Big Science” saying, during the twentieth century, almost every aspect of science changed. He went on to explain that geographically, science spread from few countries to many. Institutionally, it spread from universities and specialist organizations to find new homes in government, public and private industry and the military. Intellectually, its contours changed with the development of entirely new disciplines and the blurring of boundaries between old ones. Hughes introduce the atomic bomb in his argument saying it was the mission by British and American scientists to develop nuclear weapons. This was known as the Manhattan project. Ways in which the construction of the atomic bomb reflect a “Big Science” approach to research and development was by making scientist share their work with each other, including universities as their laboratories for

    Read More

  • Should We Have Dropped the Atomic Bomb?

    1528 Words  | 4 Pages

    They insisted that Albert Einstein inform President Roosevelt about the possibility of the Germans making an atomic bomb. In late 1939, President Roosevelt ordered an American effort to make an atomic bomb before the Germans.

    Read More

  • Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    1914 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wood, Linda K. “Men and Mission of the Manhattan Project.” World War II July 1995: 38-45. SIRS Research. SIRS Knowledge Source. Manheim Township H.S. Library, Lancaster, PA. 13 Feb. 2003.

    Read More

  • The Correct Decision of Dropping the Bombs on Hiroshima

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    "World War 2 Atomic Bomb." World War 2. World-War-2.info., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. .

    Read More

  • The Manhattan Project : A Research Project

    1563 Words  | 4 Pages

    Einsteins appointment was easy to get in the late summer of 1939. Hitler had just invaded Poland.... ... middle of paper ... ... Truman issued his ultimatum, saying that the little boy bomb was to be dropped on Hiroshima.

    Read More

  • Enrico Fermi's Role In Making The Atomic Bomb

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    I’m glad I chose this topic because it’s very interesting. I have learned a lot about the Manhattan Project. If I were the man in charge, I don’t think I could murder 90,000 innocent civilians. That was a gutsy

    Read More

  • Essay On The Manhattan Project

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    This study will explore the shape and scope of the Manhattan Project scientists’ political movement between 1942 and 1945. It will examine the messages they brought into the political realm and investigate how they approached political questions. It will further examine why the scientists were unable to influence wartime policy regarding the use of nuclear weaponry.

    Read More

  • The Manhattan Project: The Brain Child Of The Manhattan Project

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    The standards of morality are often violated during war. No one even question the ethics of certain actions until all is set and done, especially the victors. It then comes without surprise that the brain child of the Manhattan Project was one of these morally turbulent actions. The Manhattan Project, started in 1942. It consisted of a small group of government recruited scientists, physicists, chemist, metallurgists and engineers. Lead by Robert Oppenheimer in charge of developing nuclear arms [1].

    Read More

  • The Atomic Bomb

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    When looking at the aftermath of the atomic bomb in both Nagasaki and Hiroshima the devastation it caused is evident. The majority of the population in Japan could have never imagined such a catastrophic event. On August 6, 1945 and August 9, 1945 massive amounts of lives were changed forever when an atomic bomb fell from the sky and created an explosion as bright as the sun. These two bombs were the first and only accounts of nuclear warfare. (“Atomic Bomb is…”) The impact that the two bombs left on the cities of Japan was tremendous. The bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima devastated the country through structural damage, long term medical effects, expenses, and the massive loss of life.

    Read More

  • DBQ part 2

    544 Words  | 2 Pages

    In response, on August 2, 1939, Einstein sent a letter to President Roosevelt concerning the pressing matter to use uranium to create such weapons before Germany (Doc A-1). To support the development of the atomic bomb, President Roosevelt approved the production of the bomb following the receipt that the bomb is feasible on January 19, 1942. From this day to December of 1942, many laboratories and facilities were created to continue the project of the atomic bomb.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Dropping The Bomb

    674 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States’ decision to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima required extensive research leading to its production. The main goal of the American side was to damage the enemy’s confidence, while choosing a target with the highest military output in order to conclude the war (Robinson).The group in charge of developing the technology was known as the Manhattan Project, and was kept top-secret. Selection began in the spring of 1945, with assistance from the Commanding General, Army Air Forces, his Headquarters (Robinson).There was a variety of experts working on the project, including mathematicians, theoretical physicists, and specialists trained in weather and blast effects Headquarters (Robinson). In order to monitor all of the results, the city had to be untouched, meaning the target had to have no signs of previous bombings. Based on these requirements, the designation of Hiroshima for the bombing was not a simple determination. After a target was selected and the weapon was developed, testing was set to begin. On July 16, 1945, the first test in Alamogordo, New Mexico, proved that the bomb was prepared for release onto...

    Read More

  • Impact of the Manhattan Project

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Manhattan Project had various short and long term affects around the world. Primarily, the research done to create an atomic bomb led to the discovery of how to harness nuclear power which affects our lives to this day. However, the Manhattan Project also led to the creation of two more atomic bombs which would be used in WWII, radiation poisoning resulting in the death of many , fear of nuclear weapons during the Cold War, the end of the Second World War which was still taking place in Japan, and the threat of nuclear weapons around the world that still exists.

    Read More

  • Manhattan Project Essay

    1419 Words  | 3 Pages

    On August 1939, a German-American physicist named Albert Einstein sent a letter to U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt that described this discovery and warned of its potential development by other nations. This letter was written by Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner and Edward Teller. Leo Szilard was a Hungarian American physicist. Eugene Wigner was a Hungarian American theoretical physicist and mathematician. Edward Telle...

    Read More

  • The Manhattan Project: The Manhattan Project

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    The launch of the two atomic bombs on Japan in August 1945 will lead to a long

    Read More

More about The Manhattan Project

Open Document