History of the Manhattan Project - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... This paper examines the Manhattan project which led to the creation of the atomic bomb. The paper would evaluate the detailed history of the Manhattan project. It would also include an in-depth assessment of the role the Manhattan project in World War II and the effects it created.
In 1938, German scientists discovered that if your bombarded elements of uranium with neutrons, you would split the nucleus of the atom and this could create enormous heat anneutronst1. The Germans called this nuclear fission because it was similar to the split of asexual organisms in their reproduction process. Prior to that era, scientists in Europe had collaborated freely with no signs of hostility. The various scholars collaborated in cities like Cambridge, Rome and Berlin where they shared ideas and views on inventions and new ways of improving science.
However, the rise of Nazism and Fascism split Europe and put the Jewish population of physicists and scientists in danger. In the 1930s and 1940s, many of these Jewish scientists fled Germany and parts of Europe due to the inimical ideologies that sought to annihilate the Jewish people. Most of these scientists ended up in the United States of America. A notable example is Albert Einstein who got himself a job in the Princeton University.
In the 1930s, theoretical Physics was like an esoteric science which was known by a handful of people2. Thus, most scientists doubted the power of nuclear fusion and the possibility of splitting uranium atoms to create powerful bombs.
However, Hungarian-born physicist, Leo Szilard knew of the German attempts to develop the atomic bomb. He organized two other Jewish-European migrants to discuss the threat. Szilard made it clear that Hitlers acquisition of the atomic bomb could make him the winner of a war between Germany and the free world. Szilard and his colleagues asked Einstein to intervene in the matter. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More