Since the beginning of human history humans had always found religious ways to explain how the world might end. Most of the time these explanations had to do with a god and some form of abrupt ending to the planet as we know it. Scientifically none of these had ever been a reality… until World War 2. The invention of the atomic bomb and nuclear weapons is, without a doubt, the most dangerous technology ever known to the human race. Humanity has never had to deal with an issue so imminent to the survival and prosperity of our species. The crazy part is if it were not for the people in charge of handling it, we may not be alive today. In fact, even the scientists who created it knew that this very-well could have the power to make our planet completely uninhabitable.
World War I turned out to be a giant battle of who had bigger guns and who was more superior. This led war to be a very patriotic time. It was seen that the men going off to battle were brave and honorable to fight for their country. Which was very brave and honorable, but should never be glorified as war was after World War I. The unresolved conflicts from this war, and the ignorance of leaders led to the mass destruction that was World War II. During this time the United States, as well as every other country in power, were in a race of technology and weapons. The second World War involved people everywhere, even more directly.
Something else that began to change and develop very rapidly was the science and laws related to the atom. For a long time scientists believed in a very simple form of the atom. This concept can be explained simply by the way pool balls interact on a pool table. Bouncing off of each other very rapidly, and all atoms weighed the same. This theory was changed in 1896 when scientists discovered elements that were radioactive and highly unstable. This brought about new discoveries. Scientists saw that atoms were much less like pool balls and more-so like our own planetary system. Where almost all the mass is concentrated in or around the nucleus, and where electron particles were orbiting the proton and newly discovered neutron particles.
Scientists became very intrigued by these newly found neutron particles, as this was where they soon began to notice the extremely powerful energy that was held in these elements. Scientists like Madame and Monsieur Joliot did experiments with these neutron particles which made stable particles into unstable particles. In other words, they turned stable elements into radioactive and destructive ones. It was not much later when the Italian scientist, Professor Fermi, did an experiment to see what would happen if a neutron was shot at an unstable particle and discovered a definite increase in radioactivity and unstability. For this he won a Nobel Prize. Little did any of the scientists know they were nearly on the verge of creating such a weapon. More and more scientists began to get involved in these new discoveries such as German workers Dr. Meitner, Dr. Hahn, and Dr. Strassmann. Ironically two of these scientists were refugees from Hungary. As well as the most well known genius to this very day, Dr. Albert Einstein. Einstein along with another Jewish scientist fled Germany during the war and came to America to escape persecution from Hitler.
Together these scientists, along with the help of some of the most powerful people in the world, were able to discover the immense power that would be created by what we know today as nuclear weapons. This group, led by Einstein himself, immediately decided to take matters up with President Roosevelt. The first thing they told him was that they were on the brink of creating the most powerful weapon to ever be used in modern warfare. They also notified him that if the Germans were to develop this technology before any else then the war and humanity may very well end in obliteration. From there the president told them to get work and make things happen, by any means necessary.
From here they began working. Going to big-money holders like the Rockefellers and asking for large sums of money for something so top secret that even the Rockefellers couldn’t know about it. This entire effort could not have been successful if there wasn’t a team all knowing what was at stake. Major health risks were at hand with the creation and testing of this destructive bomb. The main element that is used in the reaction is called Uranium 235. There are 3 different types of Uranium and to find which kind was the most reactive was quite a battle, but once it was discovered it was then a challenge of getting this element separated in large quantities. The Commision of Forest Preservation had to give these scientists and engineers land to test what they needed. They also had to build plants that were capable of producing the amount of elements and materials that needed to be used. Time was ticking, but because of the cooperation of these organizations they were able to develop, build, and test these weapons without any major health damages to anything nearby.
The overall mission to build the atomic bomb was entitled “The Manhattan Projectâ€. Anyone who had been involved in this mission was utterly sworn to secrecy as they could not risk this project getting out. Engineers, scientists, and workers abroad were working against the clock to find how much material was needed for this explosion. They had no idea how large, how much, or how dangerous this bomb would be. On July 16th, 1945 they found out. In the bare desert outside of Los Alamos, New Mexico is where the very first nuclear bomb was tested. This bomb was named “The Gadget/Trinityâ€, and when it exploded the light produced was said to have been brighter than the sun. It created a tower or smoke and fire that was thousands of feet high in just seconds. The scientists and engineers were observing, recording data, and taking in everything they could from miles away in thick, concrete shelters.
The Manhattan Project turned out to be a success. Bringing forth two different kinds of nuclear bombs. One was the Plutonium/Implosion Bomb, the other was known as “The Uranium Bombâ€.