Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project was the United States effort to develop an atomic weapon during World War II.

Recognition of the potential military consequences of fission came rapidly and the project was established with the blessing of President Roosevelt to work toward realization of this potential.

In three short year, the project brought atomic weaponry from scientific hypothesis to reality.

Following the discovery of nuclear fission in Germany in 1930, physicist the world over began experimenting to determine if neutrons were released during during fission and if so how they might be utilized to create a chain reaction.

If controlled in a reactor such as a chain reaction would be great power source.

If uncontrolled, it could be produced an explosion far greater than any from chemical explosives.

The initial effort to the progress of atomic research in the United States came from the scientific community, a small group of European scientists had settled in the United States after fleeing from Nazism in the late thirties.

They were well aware of the atomic research being done in Germany and fearing that Germany would produce an atomic bomb first, they prevailed upon Albert Einstein to persuade President Roosevelt to increase funding for atomic research and development.

By the spring of 1942, research had progressed to the point than an atomic weapon actually seemed possible.

The district’s offices for project were initially located in Manhattan at the headquarters of the Corps’ New York District.

The Manhattan project was the largest and most costly scientific research project in history.

Under the supervision of the OSRD (Office of Scientific Research and Development)and the department of the Army, the Manhattan Project involved thousands of physicist, chemist, engineers and technical working feverishly over a period of five years.

New physics chemistry and engineering knowledge was generated through the enormous expenditure of capital and human resource.

Nearly the entire physics profession in the United States was dedicated to the Manhattan Project.
Manhattan Project