Manhattan project marked the advent of nuclear research and the creation of atomic bombs following its length, as the project was an effort led by scientists to cease the ongoing war.A team of American, German, and British scientists created a secret project called the Manhattan project during the length of World War Two. Manhattan project employed nuclear technology to create the world’s first atomic bomb and continued to create further to detonate the end of world war.The project finds its roots back in the United States, where the initiative started in response to the threatening rumors of the fascist German government creating atomic weapons with the help of nuclear energy and aiming to use them towards creating massive destruction. J. Robert Oppenheimer started and led the Manhattan Project in the year 1939, with the project extending over the span of 1942 to 1946. Although, before leading the project as head and being known as the ‘father of atomic bombs’, the formation is said to date back when German scientists Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard informed President Roosevelt regarding Germany’s lethal nuclear bombs agenda.Manhattan project is a landmark for atomic scientific research and has various facts relevant to the project that you must know. Go head in exploring the intriguing facts about the Manhattan Project and the history of atomic bombs. If you like what you are reading, why not check out wind facts and full rainbow here at Kidadl as well!Facts About The Manhattan ProjectManhattan project narrates the story of some of the most prominent scientists coming together to create a technological advancement no one has ever witnessed before. After learning the secret of nuclear fission, there were various other obstacles and landmarks in the way to utilize this power. Let us know some of them through several atomic facts that are sure to blow your mind! Read on to uncover some secrets and interesting facts about the project.Albert Einstein was the one to acquaint America through a letter about the possible dangers of Germany owning nuclear technology before anyone else. During World War Two, the creation of atomic bombs created a possibility that Adolf Hitler could use them to cause massive destruction. The letter was sent to President Roosevelt.In response to the letter, atomic scientists working towards exploring nuclear energy, in alliance with expert Physicists from Berkeley, and Columbia University, created an advisory committee to develop the project before Germans could reach a conclusion.New Mexico was chosen as the place to establish a secret base for Manhattan place. Los Alamos of New Mexico was proved eligible to be chosen as the site to base the bomb laboratory following its isolated location and natural beauty, as said by the leading figure J. Robert Oppenheimer. New Mexico was also the location for the world’s first nuclear weapon to be detonated. Alamogordo Bombing Range in New Mexico was chosen as the place to test the nuclear weapon bombing.Anatomic bomb uses the energy released through the process of nuclear fission, which is strong enough to cause mass destruction at the time of atomic explosion through a chain reaction. An atomic explosion can be compared to the process occurring inside a nuclear reactor. Nuclear reactors are set up to generate electricity or in marine propulsion following processes usually. Fortunately, nuclear reactors do not have enough room to span chain reactions; therefore, they are not capable of mass hazards.Oak Ridge, Tennessee, served as a location to create the uranium enrichment and the pilot plutonium plant. Surprisingly, Oak Ridge town did not exist before. Military officials created it to house the staff working through the extensive project with secrecy. Leslie R. Groves, a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer, was the one who led the project towards completion as the responsibility was given to the war department.The Soviet Union sent spies with a high-security clearance who made it through the atomic plant and delivered important information back to the Soviets. This also catalyzed the process of atomic bomb creation for Russia. Following theories, atomic bomb production was not entirely impossible, but the leak of reliable and scientifically accurate steps led Soviet physicists to quicken up the process.Manhattan project worked to create nuclear bombs during the war and created two different variants. First was a simple gun-type bomb, and the other a more complicated design called an implosion-type nuclear weapon.Trinity test was the code name for the first nuclear weapon testing, leading the world towards an atomic age. Detonated in the Los Alamos of New Mexico, the Trinity test was conducted after three long years in 1945. The test was done on an implosion-design plutonium device similar to one of the bombs used on Japan.The Manhattan Project was kept extremely secretive from the Germans and Japanese. Even the vice president of the United States, Truman, was not known to it until he took the presidential oath. Although a Soviet spy broke into the highly secretive system to steal information for Russia, the project was successfully tested in Los Alamos in secrecy.The destructive nuclear weapons, namely Fat Man and Little Boy, were also created under the Manhattan Project. These two bombs were later dropped on Japanese cities named Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War Two, creating a mushroom cloud in the atmosphere.Little Boy was dropped in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and Fat Man was dropped in Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Little boy atomic bomb was a reworking model of the gun-type fission model of the Thin Man atomic bomb. On the other hand, Fat Man was an implosion-type nuclear weapon that attacked Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Little Boy and Fat Man are known as one of the most destructive warfare weapons as the overall casualties following the effect of these bombs counted up to 25,0000 people to lose their lives. The areas were chosen due to their military significance. The nuclear reactions were so lethal after the Little Boy and Fat Man blast that people still suffered the repercussions even months and years later.Manhattan Project ScientistsManhattan project started as a secret project to achieve a breakthrough with nuclear materials and the right technology. The project required a discreet set of scientists who would work on the project to help the US secure victory over the Axis. A plethora of scientists was involved in this highly secretive and significant program, with most of them being persecuted by the fascist rules of Italy and Germany.Manhattan project was led by the British government, Canadian government, and American government under Major General Leslie Groves’s direction. J Robert Oppenheimer was the lead physicist and director of the Los Alamos laboratory. Leo Szilard played a great role in the establishment of the Manhattan Project. He worked closely with Albert Einstein and advised him to send out the letter to President Roosevelt, after which the foundation of the Manhattan project was drawn.Leo Szilard later joined the project as an integral part of the team to guide them to create the atomic bomb. He further partnered with Enrico Fermi to create a crucial component of the project-a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.Another prominent name of the project is Hans Bethe, who worked through the Manhattan project to not only deliver the atomic bomb a success but create scientific theories as well that are helping future generations. He proposed the theory and helped with expanding the subject of nuclear fission and fusion. American-born nuclear physicist Ernst O. Lawrence was the program chief of the Manhattan Project. Lawrence was a noble laureate who invented the cyclotron, playing a key role in making the project work smoothly. Two other significant names of the Manhattan project are Glenn Seaborg and Klaus Fuchs. While Glenn Seaborg’s discovery of plutonium delivered critical results for the Manhattan project, Klaus turned out to be a Soviet spy.Why was it called the Manhattan Project?A densely populated place located in the heart of New York City, Manhattan is known for being a financial center of the Nation. So what role does it play in the nuclear atomic Manhattan project?New York City was and continues to be a hub of various physics laboratories and colleges working on advancing sciences. At the time of the project, most of the Uranium stockpile, nuclear materials, and its substitute materials were also shipped in the city warehouses from Belgian Congo. Although allowing all the required amenities to the project, the city lacked one thing which was highly significant for the project’s success. The city was too crowded to carry out such confidential motive, and in search of isolation, the project base was shifted to several other locations, including Washington, Hanford, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos.Manhattan being its origin place was the reason why it was continually being called the Manhattan project. The Manhattan project followed various historical events through its timeline, which was officially replaced with the United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1947. The Atomic Energy Commission was further abolished in the year 1974, only to be replaced by the United States Department of Energy, which handles the safety of nuclear material.Was the Manhattan Project successful?Manhattan project was successful in bringing one of the most far-fetched unknown technology in the hands of authorities, although the repercussions were far more brutal than anybody could have ever imagined.Despite Soviet spies lurking into the program to fetch out information, the program successfully created, tested, and detonated the atomic bomb in Los Amalos. The two bombs dropped over Hiroshima, and Nagasaki halted the six-year-long war but created massive destruction towards humanity. Manhattan project, in scientific perception, turned out to be successful considering the endless scientific theories, discoveries, and inventions are near impossible to accomplish in such a short period with as little amount of information as the physicists held at that time. The project changed the world with breakthrough scientific advancements.On the other hand, the hazard it left on the world after its accomplishment is yet acknowledged by the surviving generations of millions of victims. The Manhattan project has left behind a complicated situation as the nations now are striving hard to get their hands on nuclear arms to ensure safety against any possible threat. With technological advancements, these arms are evolving and improving day by day. It has the possibility to become a threat to humanity yet again.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for facts about the Manhattan project], then why not take a look at the big bang or historical facts about Florida.
Manhattan project marked the advent of nuclear research and the creation of atomic bombs following its length, as the project was an effort led by scientists to cease the ongoing war.
