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A letter was Delievered to FDR outlining the threat of nuclear weapons.
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Two scientists theorized much about fission
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The first US project with the intent of investigating Nuclear weapons is started
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The project was organized more througholy than before. This made bomb development much more centralized.
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Colenel Groves, an expericened leader, who didn't even want control of the program is appointed to head up the Manhattan Project
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Immidiately after he took control of the program he purchased 1250 tons of Uranium that had been stored on Staten Island.
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The main project site, which became known as Oak Ridge, was purchased. It was 52,000 acres.
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Because of his work in the Manhattan project Goves was promoted to a Brigadeer general very quickly.
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Within two weeks of being given control of the program he solved problems that were going on for months.
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The first nuclear reactor went up and running for the first time and was allowed to reach a thermal output of 0.5 watts.
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More Land was purchased for Plutonium production and separation.
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Work on refinement of Uranium and Production of Plutonium continued. A new recator was built to produce Plutonium in research quantities. Also gun-type weapons were heavily reasearched.Also the project known as Alberta began researching combat delivery.
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Problems with the Gas Diffusion method of separating Uranium were discovered. Abelson Leaked some info to Oppenheimer to help him out with his problems.
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S-50, a liquid thermal diffusion plant is built to feed the Y-12 Electromagnetic plant.
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Minimal production of Uranium was hapening. The only workable bomb type needed U-235 which, at the time, was impossible to purify.
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The reactor meant to produce plutonium inexplicably shut down and then restarted on its own the next day. It was found that Xenon-135 poisoning was to blame. Modifications were made to stop this from happening.
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A test was planned and approved by Oppenheimer and Groves.
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Except for it Uranium core, which was estimated to be completed on April 1st, the worlds first atomic bomb was complete.
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The "Gadget" bomb was detonated at the trinity test. At the end of this experiment Oppenheimer was quoted, being amazed at the power of the bomb, saying, "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." The explosion was so powerful it vaporized the steel tower the bomb was housed on.