The Atomic Bomb in World War 2

             Atomic Bombing: America's Only Choice
             It was discovered at the University of Chicago that neutrons striking the element uranium caused the atoms to split apart. The discovery, based on Einstein's E=mc2 theory that mass has the potential to unleash great amounts of raw energy, showed that among the pieces of a split atom were newly produced neutrons. These might encounter other uranium nuclei, cause them to split, and start a chain reaction. If the chain reaction were limited to a moderate pace, a new source of energy could be the result. The chain reaction could release energy rapidly and with explosive force.
             Albert Einstein informed President Roosevelt about the possibility of the Germans making an atomic bomb. In late 1939 President Roosevelt ordered an American effort to make an atomic bomb before the Germans. This project to produce the atomic bomb was named the Manhattan Project. Industrial and research activities took place at such sites as Los Alamos, New Mexico; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Hanford, Washington. J. Robert Oppenheimer, known as the father of the bomb, led the Manhattan Project: he directed the design and building of the bomb from 1943 to 1945. The first atomic bomb was successfully exploded on July 16, 1945, near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
             There was a debate over whether dropping the remaining two bombs (Little Boy and Fat Man) could be avoided. Many people offered alternatives they saw as more morally justifiable. One alternative was an invasion of the Japan mainland, but most Americans wanted to avoid this option at all costs, since it involved the loss of a predicted one million American lives, as well as huge numbers of Japanese. It has also been argued that a demonstration could have been held for Japanese officials on an uninhabited island. This, if it had worked, would have spared Hiroshima and Nagasaki devastation while still revealing the atom bomb's fantastic power to the Japanese. ...

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The Atomic Bomb in World War 2. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 11:16, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/34541.html