Manhattan Project

Outcomes of the Manhattan Project

Before atomic warfare, incendiary bombs went off and the immediate damage occurred, then clean up began, this however was not the case with nuclear bombs. “Immediately after the bomb hit Hiroshima approximately 70,000 people were instantly killed or essentially vaporized by the temperatures created by the bomb its self, another 70,000 were injured but due to the fact the bomb wiped out the hospitals and the majority of doctors in Hiroshima many died from their injuries. Nagasaki had very similar results death tolls ranged any where from 30,000 to 70,000 people immediately killed but 80,000 total by the end of 1945.” (www.aasc.ucla.edu/cab/200708230009.html) Many survivors from Hiroshima made their way to Nagasaki where they were bombed again. After a few weeks or months we began to realize the affects radiation has on a human being, many people got cancer, radiation poisoning, and caused genetic birth defects in their offspring. By the end of 1945 approximately 200,000 people were killed because of the atomic bombing with countless wounded. Buildings were obliterated, the cities were almost erased off the earth, there was little to no trace of human life. Bodies close to the blast zone were incinerated, essentially their ashes were vaporized leaving no evidence of people ever being there. There have been reports of people seeing the flash of light and feeling the shock wave from the bombs miles away. The shock waves caused by the bombs tore peoples limbs off, caused injuries and permanent damage to structures. Destruction caused by “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” was horrific and devastated all of Japan, specifically their military. Ethics were questioned, even scientists involved in the program regretted being a factor in this amount of destruction. The Manhattan Project had a few positives such as modern day chemotherapy, and CAT scans. We also discovered leukemia is passed on to future offspring, these advancements in technology and medicine have saved many lives and continue to do so every day.

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Every major project needs a strong leader with experience, control and a passion for what they are doing. A scientist was needed for the project to succeed and the best man for the job at that time was J. Robert Oppenheimer. His nickname was Father of the Atomic Bomb, he was responsible for leading the team responsible for creating the atomic bomb. He attended Harvard and got a degree in chemistry before going to a university in Germany and earning a PhD in physics. When he arrived back in the United States he began teaching physics at the University of California. His strengths were leading groups of people while teaching, he was passionate about his research and work. In June 1942, Oppenheimer was made director of the Manhattan Project until the project ended in 1945. He spent months finding the most useful scientists in the United States and even enlisted scientists from other countries including help from Albert Einstein. He was very proud of his team and of the United States for accomplishing something as monumental as this. As soon as the bombs were dropped he and his team both realized what they had done by creating these bombs, they were essentially responsible for killing thousands of people and potentially millions of people in the future and were not as proud of themselves like they were before people began dieing.

Conclusion

Ever since the bombings in Japan nuclear power and weapons have been in the news and a part of everyday life. Energy from nuclear power plants powers about a sixth of the world’s energy and more and more plants are being under consideration for construction. During the Cold War Era nuclear missiles were being pointed at countries all around the world and the world barely avoided WWIII. An example of nuclear energy in the news would be the Chernobyl Disaster of 1986, where a nuclear power plant exploded in Ukraine causing death and destruction. What this group of scientists did in secrecy changed our world forever, whether people view atomic power good or bad is up to personal opinion but as a society we are responsible for how we use this great discovery, for good or bad. The outcomes of the Manhattan Project could possibly be the greatest achievement in the history of technology, chemistry and physics. Years were spent researching, countless tests done and billions of dollars were spent creating a tool that could potentially end the human race.