The First Atomic Bomb Exploded - 860 Words

The first atomic bomb exploded July 16, 1945. The bomb was so powerful that the heat generated by the blast was 4 times the temperature at the center of the sun, blew out windows in houses more than 200 miles away, and killed every living creature within a mile (Faragher, 721). Out of fear that the Nazi s might develop an atomic bomb, Franklin D. Roosevelt established a small nuclear research program in 1939. The president released resources to create the Manhattan Project, which was the American effort to design and build an atomic bomb (U.S. History Online Textbook). However, the Manhattan project wasn t placed under the direction of the average American citizen, but the Army Corps of Engineers. In 1942 the first chain reaction in uranium was produced by Novel Prize winner named Enrico Fermi. The following year, the government uprooted key researchers and their families, sending them to Los Alamos, New Mexico. Scientist were constantly followed by security personnel and treated like prisoners within their homes and community. As a result of this, scientists and their families formed a close-knit community with one another because of their shared need for secrecy and antagonism toward their army guardians (Faragher, 722). Sixteen million men and women left home for military service and to take advantage of wartime jobs (Faragher, 722). Roosevelt referred to this time period as a great arsenal of democracy, due to the vast recovery from the Great Depression. StatesShow MoreRelatedThe Manhattan Project1519 Words   |  7 PagesThe process of building the two atomic bombs was long and hard. The Manhattan project employed 120,000 people, and cost almost $2 billion. Although there were 120,000 Americans working on the project only a select group of scientist knew of the atom ic bomb development. Vice president Truman never knew about the development of the bombs until he became president. The axis powers did not know what was going on with the development of the atomic bomb; there was a soviet spy in the project. The sovietRead MoreThe Manhattan Project Essay545 Words   |  3 PagesThe Manhattan Project was a very important event throughout the World War II history. It began the development of the atomic bomb and other nuclear weapons that were of good help during the war. It first began with a German scientist separating the uranium atom, which made people be scared of what Hitler might be capable of. Also Hitler and his people had begun discovering new types of weapons that were useful for them in the war. Something that apparently Hitler did not quite think about, was theRead MoreThe Atomic Age869 Words   |  4 Pages but also save many lives. At this point, the atomic bomb began to be considered for the benefits it had when compared to a invasio n. As soon as Truman had approved the use of the atomic bomb, a plan had to be created. The bombings were planned years in advance, making the construction and design of the weapon possible. In 1942, after the United States’ Army had taken control of the project, it was decided that by the summer of 1945 the atomic bomb would be organized well enough for release; howeverRead MoreWhat Are the Positive and Negative Aspects of the Aromic Bomb?1520 Words   |  7 PagesThe First Only-Atomic Bomb The atomic bomb, also known as the atom bomb or fission bomb, a weapon whose explosive power originates from the fission of atomic nuclei, a reaction in which an atomic nucleus splits in two. When the nucleus of a heavy atom, such as the element uranium-235, which is what the atom bomb is made out of, is split, a certain amount of mass disappears and an equivalent amount of energy is released. This was expressed by the equation E=mc2 (energy = mass times the speed ofRead More The Manhattan Project Essay1507 Words   |  7 PagesThe Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was the code name of the America’s attempt to construct an atomic bomb during World War II. It was named after the Manhattan Engineer District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, because a lot of it’s earlier research was done in New York City. An atomic bomb is a weapon that uses the energy from a nuclear reaction called Fission for its destruction. The idea that mass could be changed into energy was predicted by Albert Einstein in the earlierRead MoreEssay about Deciding to Drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan768 Words   |  4 Pagesdrop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, and Nagasaki because Japan attacked Pearl Harbor without warning. This occurrence happened at the end of WWII. America, China, and the United Kingdom joined forces to gain surrender from the Japan armed forces. The alliance, also called the â€Å"Manhattan Project,† tested an atomic device, and were able to make weapons based on two alternate designs. One was a uranium gun-type atomic bomb, and the other was a plutonium implosion-type atomic bomb. The 509thRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb Of The United States1358 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å" The atom bomb was no ‘great decision.’ It was merely another powerful weapon in the arsenal of righteousness.† This quote was said by Harry S. Truman the first President who used an atomic bom b. The program that was able to create this monstrous power was known as the Manhattan Project. Creating this weapon was their main priority. The United States was in the midst of World War 2. The atomic bomb is considered to be the main factor that ended that war. It was a race against the multiple enemiesRead MoreDropping The Bombs On Hiroshima And Nagasaki1073 Words   |  5 PagesIn an attempt to frighten the Communist Soviet Russia, two unnecessary bombs were dropped on Japan. The actions of the President of the United States (U.S.) at the time, Harry Truman, to deploy a nuclear weapon on a near-surrender Japan and two populous cities were viewed as unjust and hasty by the American people. Dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not necessary. In a brief summary, World War II (WWII) was viewed as one of the bloodiest wars to date. The Japanese belief of fightingRead MoreThe United States And Japan s Involvement1687 Words   |  7 Pagescouldn’t do anything but watch as the United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on his hometown. Three days later, while terror was still raging in Hiroshima, the US dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. While it may seem inhumane for the US to have used such powerful weapons on Japan, the US had many reasons to use such drastic measures. The United States and Japan s involvement in WW2 led to the eventual use of atomic weapons causing a series of devastating effects that changed JapanRead MoreHiroshima, By John Hersey1496 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Hersey once said, â€Å"What has kept the world safe from the bomb since 1945 has not been deterrence, in the sense of fear of specific weapons, so much as it s been memory. The memory of what happened at Hiroshim a†. Early morning on August the 6th 1945, the United Sates dropped atomic bombs into the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The â€Å"Little Boy† bomb which was equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT, destroyed most of the city and killed about 130,000 people. There were few people who survived after this