The Manhattan Project: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb by Its Creators, Eyewitnesses and Historians: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb in the Words of Its Creators, Eyewitnesses, and Historians

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This is the story of the women of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. You’re going to read about how they were a very important part of the operation and what it all means as you discover more about their lives. But first, Oak Ridge was a town that didn’t appear on any map until 1949. Its creation was a result of the Manhattan Project. Oak Ridge was created in 1942 as a secret city that would serve valuable to the operation involving the creation of an atomic bomb. The Secrets of Oak Ridge This may be the oldest book we have to offer from our list of a few of the best atomic bomb books out there. Brighter than a Thousand Suns was written during the 1950s and was published in 1970 by Robert Jungk. The author tells us an exciting story about the views and perspectives of different scientists and physicists who had some sort of part to play in and around the Manhattan Project. For many readers, this way of learning about the atomic bomb is much more exciting than many others. The book is filled with many short boxes of texts next to thrilling and simple illustrations, making sure you never get bored and learn at the same time. Jonathan is a real storyteller, and his book is a true graphic novel masterpiece. The nuclear fission technology perfected by the Manhattan Project engineers has since become the basis for the development of nuclear reactors, power generators, as well as other innovations, including medical imaging systems and radiation therapies for various forms of cancer. Sources The main character in this thrilling book is an 11-year-old girl named Dewey Kerrigan. She decides to go searching for her father, a brilliant scientist who is working on a top-secret and extremely dangerous project. Dewey gets on a train and heads for Los Alamos, New Mexico. The hunt for her father will not be an easy one, and it will take some time for her to find him and discover the truth.

This book is a must-read if you want to know the inside thoughts and actions of the scientists and people working on the Manhattan Project. This incredible book includes a massive number of essays, documents, articles, eyewitness accounts, and so much more from this time. The Making of the Atomic Bomb is a history book rare in its excellence, marvelously combining the elements of narrative history, rigorous scholarship (including author interviews), and technical writing. Even if you were terrible in physics – and I was beyond terrible, as my high school physics teacher would mournfully agree – you will be able to understand the science behind this most controversial of all inventions. Magisterial is a word that I don't often find cause to use with the books I read. Here it is completely apt but then so is the word exhausting. The latter portions of the book are dominated – unsurprisingly – by the “American Prometheus” himself, Oppenheimer. He was a brilliant man in his own right, but his main contribution to the Manhattan Project was to manage the greatest collection of scientific minds perhaps ever gathered in one place.

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Biographies of many important people and their accomplishments were discussed at great length: Ernest Rutherford (early atomic model), Marie Curie (radioactivity), Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg (quantum mechanics and electrons), Enrico Fermi (neutron bombardment, nuclear chain reactions, and atomic fission), J. Robert Oppenheimer (the theoretical physicist who put it all together at Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico and the Manhattan Project), and many others who all contributed to the field of nuclear energy, theoretical physics, and quantum theory. Even the psychological profiles of these individuals was discussed:

The book is very TMI about everything and everybody. The other factor is that the events he covers have largely faded from memory. I think it’s safe to say that it would not get published today. I'll summarize the book to give an idea of what it's about and highlight some parts I found interesting. It is compelling and terrifying to see what happened to Japan's people and then think of what could have happened to the world if the Nazis had built an atomic bomb first. Warzel, Charlie (July 20, 2023). "The Real Lesson From 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb' ". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023 . Retrieved September 5, 2023.

Discover the Key Moments of Each Year of World War II

On July 16, 1945, in a remote desert location near Alamogordo, New Mexico, the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated—the Trinity Test—creating an enormous mushroom cloud some 40,000 feet high and ushering in the Atomic Age. The fascinating, little-known story of how two brilliant female physicists’ groundbreaking discoveries led to the creation of the atomic bomb. Jonathan’s book on the Manhattan Project is a unique one, sharing the original story of how things went down and featuring some exciting graphic illustrations to make sure readers imagine this historical event much better. The Ultimate Graphic History Novel

In the early days of World War II, a team of American scientists descended into the New Mexico desert to build the atomic bomb. 109 East Palace tells the story of Robert Oppenheimer and the secret city of Los Alamos, where some of history's most brilliant minds worked to change the course of warfare. It is impressive how the thousands of people who lived there spent years lying to family and friends about what was happening to protect the war effort and themselves.

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But I digress. Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" is a wonderful and exhaustingly detailed case study of the development of a transformative technology - the atomic bomb. The book is very thorough and covers the initial discoveries in nuclear physics, the early experiments, the government's intervention, the massive Manhattan project and its parallels in 4 other world powers, the associated secrecy, diplomacy, sabotage and espionage, and finally culminates with death and destruction at Hiroshima/Nagasaki and the associated political and ethical dilemmas.

Hitler’s 1933 expulsion of Jewish scientists from Germany’s universities and Mussolini’s anti-Semitic policies led to key talented nuclear physicists coming to the U. S. Driven by their personal experience and overwhelming fear of Hitler’s getting the bomb first, these scientists convinced the American government to take the bomb seriously. When their expertise was combined with existing U.S. scientific talent, a “critical mass” of ideas rebounded through this emergent physics community resulting in the atomic bomb. Germany’s remaining scientists, while talented, were too few, too isolated and had too few resources. Other nations had even less capability.The processes required to make a bomb required huge investments to construct the plants necessary to purify and enrich the uranium and create the isotopes and plutonium needed. No other nation’s economy could support this huge expenditure of resources while also fighting a war. Last but not least, once the decision was made America’s commitment was unwavering both from the military and scientific communities. The making of the atom bomb was a truly remarkable achievement of organization, leadership, persistence and cooperation.