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Manhattan Project Research Papers

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The Manhattan Project is one of history's most impactful scientific endeavors, and its effects are very relevant today. Launched in 1939, the project was a top-secret research program initiated by the United States government during World War II to develop the first atomic bomb, with fears of Nazi Germany developing an atomic weapon. The outcome was three atomic weapons, two of which, "Fat Man" and "Little Boy," were unleashed on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing catastrophic damage. This event only impacted the war's outcome but showed the world the true power of the atomic weapon. The Manhattan Project arguably is the most significant scientific endeavor ever accomplished since it paved the way for discoveries in nuclear …show more content…

This discovery opened scientists to the idea of generating power atomically and the possibility of creating atomic weapons. According to the Office of History and Heritage Resources publication: F. G. Gosling, The Manhattan Project: Making the Atomic Bomb, "They found that while the nuclei of most elements changed somewhat during neutron bombardment, uranium nuclei changed greatly and broke into two roughly equal pieces." Nuclear fission demonstrated that a nuclear chain reaction was possible. Without this information, the Manhattan Project would not have been possible. However, since Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann were both German scientists, this discovery provided a significant advantage for the Germans over the Americans since they knew how to build atomic weapons. President Franklin D. Roosevelt received a message from German scientists Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard about the discovery of nuclear fission, and Germany’s ambitions to construct atomic weapons. In response, Roosevelt formed the Uranium Committee in 1939, a top-ranking military and scientific expert demanding how reliable a nuclear chain reaction was. Following the Uranium Committee, the MAUD and S-1 Committees were established. Roosevelt saw Germany’s nuclear ambitions as a threat to western civilization. According …show more content…

So when the bombs were completed, the secrecy of the project gave the world a surprise when “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The project secrecy played a key role in making the project successful by making the United States appear intimidating to its

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700 Words | 3 Pages

After Pearl Harbor, Japan won many battles, but their success would end after the Battle of Midway when Japan had been destroyed beyond repair. So, as the United States kept fighting smaller islands to get to Japan's main island, it got very hard so they decided to use their secret weapon, the atomic bomb. A project, known as the Manhattan project, was creating a bomb so powerful it could wipe out cities. So, the United States used the “ Fat Man “ on Nagasaki, and the “ Little Boy “ on Hiroshima. The atomic bomb was a success and killed about 145,000 people in both cities.

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776 Words | 4 Pages

This declination led to the demonstration of the ultimatum, to which the atomic bomb served as a suitable weapon. This atomic bomb was first introduced to Roosevelt and the American government in 1939 by a letter written by Albert Einstein. This letter warned Roosevelt of the potential creation of bombs through uranium, specifically the potential creation in

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1889 Words | 8 Pages

The Manhattan Project was started in fears that Nazi Germany was going to create the ultimate weapon, powered by the natural forces of fission. As President and wartime Commander, Roosevelt

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732 Words | 3 Pages

As many countries joined WWII, many of them were finding new ways to protect themselves. Thus the atomic bomb was born. The Germans found a way to split a uranium atom that created a huge explosion thanks to famous scientist, Albert Einstein. It wasn't long before the U.S. heard of this and started doing the same thing. In 1941, America hired a German physicist ad created a secret project called The Manhattan Project.

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1485 Words | 6 Pages

In order to resolve such a conflict, the United States embarked on a secret military mission known as the Manhattan Project to explore new ways to advance their reserve of warfare weaponry. After years of experimentation, the operation brought forth the creation of the deadliest weapon in history- the atomic bomb. Thanks to the Manhattan Project, the United States uncovered revolutionary new knowledge in the field of nuclear weaponry that not only signaled enormous strides in the advancement of technology but dually offered a solution to the country’s conflict with Japan, and established the United States as a force to be reckoned with against enemy countries eager to

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585 Words | 3 Pages

The american public and military personnel saw the only two options for the defeat of Japan. Either to invade the Japanese homeland, or dropping an atomic bomb on Japan. There were in fact a number of alternatives that could have evaded both of these possibilities. A key alternative was to perform a demonstration of the bomb. This alternative was supported by a committee of scientists at the University of Chicago’s Metallurgical Laboratory, a significant Manhattan Project facility.

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247 Words | 1 Pages

In 1938, German chemists discovered fission (how to split a uranium atom.) This discovery changed the world forever. A man named Leo Szilard knew that this discovery could power an incredibly powerful bomb. He got the idea from a science fiction book he loved that was written in 1914 by H.G. Wells called, “The World Set Free”, which talked about an atomic bomb. Leo Szilard left for America in 1939 to warn the United States that the Germans were in the lead for creating a bomb more powerful than any the world had ever seen.

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998 Words | 4 Pages

According to history.com, an atomic bomb is a very powerful weapon that uses nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy. After World War II began, President Franklin D. Roosevelt received a letter from Albert Einstein and his colleague Leo Szilard that stated a very powerful bomb could be created by using the forces of nuclear fission. The Manhattan Project was the code name for an American-led effort to develop and produce a functional atomic bomb during World War II that was led by General Leslie Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer. President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the formation of the Manhattan project on December 28, 1942, which allowed military officials and many scientists to form a team to develop the atomic bomb. According to nobelprize.org, “Code-named "The Manhattan Project," the effort eventually employed more than 200,000 workers and several thousands scientists and engineers, many of European background.

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3173 Words | 13 Pages

The world was changed by the Manhattan Project, introducing major historical and ethical dilemmas, nations were introduced to the concepts of M.A.D, and countries could now have the capability to end the world potentially, bringing forth historical and ethical conflicts never seen before, such as the Cold War and the power of an atomic weapon. Starting with a letter to the president and evolving into a nationwide classified project with over 100,000 researchers. It led to the ending of the Second World War and brought ethical questions never once thought of in human history. The Manhattan Project has saved many lives, yet has potentially doomed many

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626 Words | 3 Pages

In 1939, the scientific community, specifically German physicists had learned the secrets of splitting a uranium atom (The Manhattan Project” 2015). America realized that Adolf Hitler’s Germany obtained a massive amount of scientific talent. With their access had necessary raw materials and knowledge of the splitting of the uranium atom, they had the industrial capacity to produce an atomic bomb(“Manhattan Project”2014). The atomic bomb would eventually become the turning point of weaponry during World War II. On October 11, 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt received a letter from Albert Einstein about the splitting of the uranium atom which could be beneficial in developing weapons for America during World War II.

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799 Words | 4 Pages

The Manhattan Project, which had developed the bomb, had cost billions of dollars and involved the work of thousands of scientists and engineers. Many believed that it would be a waste not to use the weapon that they had worked so tirelessly to create. It is worth noting, however, that many scientists involved in the Manhattan Project later expressed regret about their involvement in the development of the bomb and the decision to use it. They saw the immense destructive power of the bomb and feared that it would lead to a dangerous arms race and the eventual destruction of

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604 Words | 3 Pages

However, in the late spring of 1945, the U.S.A. needed a way to defeat its enemy without losing any U.S. lives. Scientists had been gathering information since 1939, “to exploit the newly recognized fission process for military purposes.” They would create The Manhattan Project in years to come. After three years of brilliant work, the project result was a bomb, equivalent to 12,000 tons of TNT.(Manhattan Project)Ending the greatest conflict in history, the atomic bomb would change the world. Today, atoms provide us with electricity, while years ago, people of the world's most powerful nations feared

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922 Words | 4 Pages

Oppenheimer gathered around two hundred scientists for the manhattan project to live and work on the bomb in a secret third city. Those scientists made two different bomb designs. The first bomb was a gun-type bomb called the “little boy” The second bomb was an implosion-type bomb called the “fat man”. But they both were equally destructive. The atomic bomb was invented for defense against Japan in World War II.

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1140 Words | 5 Pages

Have you ever wondered how long you could keep a secret from everyone you know? The Manhattan Project was one of the most kept secrets. It was a secret project to make the first atomic bomb ever. Now how is this related to now? It is related because the creation of that bomb helped the warfare that countries today use.

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675 Words | 3 Pages

This discovery paved the way for the development of nuclear reactors and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The Manhattan Project also drove research in many other fields, including quantum mechanics, particle physics, and materials science. We can still see the project's effect in many areas of science to this day. The impact of the Manhattan Project at the end of World War II is the reason for the project in the first place.

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