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Discovery of Nuclear Fission
Fission is discovered by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman
http://science.howstuffworks.com/manhattan-project1.htm
http://www.ndr.de/kultur/geschichte/hahnwirtz100_v-contentgross.jpg -
German nuclear weapons program starts in April of 1939
Germany starts researching uses of nuclear fission just months after it is discovered.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_nuclear_energy_project -
Einstein writes letter to FDR about German research
Einstein wrote a letter warning the president and the United States that the German physicists were learning to split uranium. http://www.dannen.com/ae-fdr.html
http://nnsa.energy.gov/sites/default/files/imagecache/medium_photo/nnsa/03-11-timelineimage/1-Einstein%20and%20Szilard%20letter%20to%20Roosevelt%20Getty%20Images.jpg -
Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor
Japanese attack naval base in Hawaii. Sparks US involvement in World War II.
http://latimesphoto.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/fa_487_pearlharbor42_970.jpg
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
FDR signs off to create top-secret "Manhattan Project"
President Roosevelt signs an order that creates a secret group for developing atomic bombs.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1644.html
http://nnsa.energy.gov/aboutus/ourhistory/timeline/president-roosevelt-establishes-manhattan-project -
Scientist Enricho Fermi created the first controlled nuclear reaction
Enricho Fermi and a group of scientists made the first nuclear reactor and created the first controlled reaction at the University of Chicago.
http://www.osti.gov/accomplishments/images/08.gif -
First test of an atomic bomb at Trinity Bomb Site
The test took place in the desert and was supposed to be a secret but there was a flash of light for 200 miles, a 40,000 foot tall mushroom cloud, and it blew out windows of houses 100 miles away.
http://www.ushistory.org/us/51f.asp
http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/mp/Images/SB23.jpg -
Bombing of Hiroshima
Marked first atomic bomb used as a weapon. It wiped out 90% of the city killing about 90,000 people.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/hiroshima_08_05/h29_19773763.jpg -
Bombing at Nagasaki
This bomb killed 40,000 people and led to the Japanese emperor surrendering.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
http://www.exploratorium.edu/nagasaki/journey/07.jpg
