The Start of the Atomic Bomb
In 1938, three chemists working in a laboratory made a monumental discovery that would forever change the history of weapons: they split the uranium atom. The splitting or fission of the uranium atom was powerful enough to power a bomb. Little did those three chemists know that by splitting the uranium atom, they would forever change the history of World War II. Germany was the first country to start the creation of the bomb but they had numerous technical problems had to be overcome. This caused fear for the United States and Britain because they feared the Nazis would have an advantage if they created the atomic bomb.
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Einstein's Letter
When Einstein learned that the Germans would most likely succeed in fixing the numerous technical problems he wrote a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt in 1939 expressing his concerns. His letter made the president aware about the possibility of nuclear chain reactions in a large mass of uranium, which could lead to the formation of extremely powerful atomic bombs. Einstein's letter of concern initiated the US effort to build an atomic bomb. Einstein's letter to President informed the US that Germany was working on the bomb and made Britian and the United States afraid that the Nazis would have an advantage if they created the bomb.
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The United State's Role In The Creation Of The Bomb
The US's work on the atomic bomb started off slowly. But after two findings in 1940 and 1941 that demonstrated how convenient the bomb would be, building the bomb turned into a top priority for the US. The Project took final form in the desert of New Mexico, where, in 1943, Robert J. Oppenheimer began directing Project Y at a laboratory along with other scientists. On July 16, 1945 the first atomic bomb test was successfully exploded. The scientists had removed themselves 10,000 yards away to observe as the first atomic bomb went 40,000 feet into the air and generated the destructive power of 15,000 to 20,000 tons of TNT. The tower on which the bomb sat on when exploded was vaporized. The US came to the decision that they would bomb Japan instead of Germany because Germany had already surrendered in the war. Four months after the first atomic bomb blew up in July, Hiroshima was bombed.