-
President Roosevelt recieves letter from Albert Einstein
Information CitationEinstein Image CitationEinstein sent a letter to the president explaining to him the new field of physics that shows how Uranium can be split through nuclear fission. This would release a large amount of energy and could be used for bombs. Roosevelt took this warning and used it to organize a research committee. -
Fission of Uranium 235
Image CitationInformation CitationPhysicists Otto Frisch and Rudolph Peierles create a theoretical analysis of the possibility of using the fission Uranium 235 as means to create an explosion. This was the basis of future research about nuclear weapons during the 1940's. -
Plutonium Discovered
Image CitationInformation CitationGlenn Seaborg and Arthur Wahl discover Plutonium, which would eventually be chosen by the MAUD committee as a more fissile material than Uranium -
MAUD Committee
Image CitationInformation CitationPersuaded by the report of Frisch and Peierles, a committee is formed to select a gaseou diffusion to enrich Uranium. This committee is code-named MAUD. -
British Begin Development of Atomic Bomb
Image CitationInformation Citation
Prime Minister Winston Churchill endorses and British Cheifs of Staff agree to begin to develop an atomic bomb. This is before the United States officially begin. -
United States Begin to Investigate Atomic Weapons
Information CitationFollowing the United States entry into World War II, they officially begin to investigate the use of atomic weapons as opposed to previously exploring nuclear fission. -
Human Made Nuclear Reacter
Information CitationImage CitationEnrico Fermi begins to design CP-1, the world's first human made nuclear reacter in the MET Lab in Chicago. -
Manhattan Project Begins
Manhattan Project CitationPresident Roosevelt signs an order to create a secret project to develope an atomic bomb for the United States in World War II. The project was originally named "Development of Substitute Materials" but was later changed to "Manhattan Project" -
Army Corps of Engineers District Takes Control of Atomic Bomb Development
Information CitationGeneral Steyr orders Colonel James Marshall to organize an Army Corps of Engineers District to take control of the Manhattan Project -
Work on Manhattan Project Officially Begins
Information Citation
Colonel Leslie Richard Groves orders the purchase of 1250 tons of Belgian Congo uranium as well as over 52000 acres of land to be the future site of Oak Ridge. -
First Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction
Image CitationInformation CitationUnder the grandstands at Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, Enrico Fermi lead a group of Physicists to create the first controlled nuclear chain reaction. -
Manhattan Project Granted Priority AA-1
Information CitationThe Manhattan Project is granted the highest project-wide procurement priority of AA-1 giving it the utmost priority for the United States. -
First Atomic Bomb Detonated
Image CitationInformation CitationA section of land near Alomogordo, New Mexico, codenamed "Trinity" was the site of a test detonation by the United States. -
US Drops Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan
Image CitationInformation Citation
An atomic bomb codenamed "Little Boy" was transported and dropped by a B-29 bomber known as Enola Gay. The bomb caused a tremendous amount of damage and lead to the deaths of over 100,000 people. -
US Drops bomb on Nagasaki
Information CitationThe second and final atomic bomb the United States dropped on Japan during World War II resulted in the same way as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Within days of this bombing the Japanese surrender.
