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Fear of Destruction
German physicists possibly discover the secrets of splitting uranium atoms, and fears arise that Nazi scientists could produce a bomb of ultimate destruction. With anxiety, scientists Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi escape Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy respectively to warn the United States of their potential disaster. The Manhattan Project -
Einstein wants Atomic Research Program
Albert Einstein, who escaped Nazi Germany (barely), writes a letter with Leo Szilard to President Theodore Roosevelt warning that Germany might develop atomic bombs, and also they ask for an atomic research program to be kickstarted in the United States. Although reluctant at first, Roosevelt gradually begins to start the research initiative. The Manhattan Project -
Code Name Finalized
The code name for the United States' development of the atomic bomb is finalized: The Manhattan Project. At this point, the main physicists involved in this project are Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, Leo Szilard, and Richard Feynman. Their goal of this project is to create the first atomic bomb before Nazi Germany does. The Manhattan Project -
Authorization Complete
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt formally authorizes the production of the atomic bomb. FDR Authorizes -
K-25 Uranium Enrichment Facility Built
There was not enough uranium and the ratio of uranium ore to uranium metal was 500:1. 99% of the ore is uranium-238, which is useless for the atomic bomb. So mechanical extraction was needed to separated the U-235 from U-238, so to ease the process, the K-25 Facility in Oak Ridge, TN was created. Developments in Uranium Purification -
US conducts first test of atomic bomb
United States conducts first test of atomic bomb known as the Trinity Test. The bomb was detonated in Alamogordo near the Los Alamos research faciility in NM, where the bomb was produced as well. The Trinity Test -
Atomic Bomb dropped over Hiroshima
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima. At 8:15 am, the "Little Boy" bomb carried by the Enola Gay was deployed 1900 feet above Hiroshima and missed its target, the Aioi Bridge, by only 900 feet. It killed around 70,000 people instantly, but around 70,000 died of radiation later. The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima -
Atomic Bomb Dropped over Nagasaki
The "Bockscar" airplane carrying the "Fat Man" atomic bomb headed to Kokura. Due to poor weather conditions, they changed direction and "Fat Man" was dropped over Nagasaki. Around 87,000 people died and 70% of the city's prosperous industrial sites were demolished. The United States was now the first country to drop the atomic bomb, and well before Germany.
Bombing of Nagasaki -
