The Manhattan Project

The logo of the Manhattan Project

This technology was developed by around 600,000 people, yet nearly all of them were unaware of what their work was for. There were nearly 20 sites in North America that were part of the Manhattan project, but there were three that were the most significant. Oak ridge, TN, Hanford, WA, and Los Alamos, NM, were the places where the most vital research and development was put in place.

How do nuclear bombs work?

The science of nuclear weaponry all happens at an atomic level. In 1939, German scientists successfully split an atom apart for the first

The Manhattan project all started in 1941. That was the code name of the USA’s top secret research into creating the worlds first nuclear weapon: an atom bomb.

A newspaper headline about the atom bomb from the 1940s

time. This means that a single atoms’s nucleus was split in two. This creates a release of energy. Very few elements are unstable enough to be split this way, and even the ones that are are not reactive enough to cause damage, however, certain isotopes of an already unstable element, such as uranium U-235, are so unstable that their splitting causes a chain reaction.

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The Science of Nuclear Energy

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Nuclear energy can be released through two ways: Fission and fusion.
Fission: When an atom is split into two smaller atoms
Fusion: When two atoms’ nuclei bond together to form 1 atom

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How fission works

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These both release a similar amount of energy. However, an important difference is that fission causes a chain reaction in other atoms. This means that the more atoms that split, the more energy is released. This energy is known as nuclear energy.

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Scope of Nuclear Weaponry

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The shift in the overall scope of technology in WWII compared to previous wars was immense. With the inventions of machine guns, radar, and many more weapons and tools, wars could wipe out so much more with fewer weapons. Nuclear weaponry, however, is on a scale unlike any weapon seen before.

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How Nuclear Bombs Work

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Nuclear energy is highly effective, but it causes something called radiation. Radiation is a dangerous and harmful form of energy that is given off when nuclear reactions happen. Radiation can cause serious damage to cells and cause cancer.

The Three Vital Project Sites

The Three Vital Project Sites

The Effects of the Manhattan Project In...

New Mexico

New Mexico played a key part in the development and testing of the nuclear bomb. Los Alamos, New Mexico, was one of the three main research sites of the Manhattan Project. One of the most significant events of Los Alamos was the Trinity Test site. This was the first large-scale test of a nuclear bomb in history. This test was conducted on July 16th, 1945 in the New Mexico Desert.

The United States

The nuclear bomb was a huge step up for the USA in WWII. The impact of this weapon changed the view of America’s military forces. This weapon was so much more powerful than any weaponry before it. These atom bombs have gone down in history as the first and only nuclear bombs that have ever been detonated. Having this weapon in the US’s hands helps deter attacks on the US.

The Effects of the Manhattan Project In...

New Mexico played a key part in the development and testing of the nuclear bomb. Los Alamos, New Mexico, was one of the three main research sites of the Manhattan Project. One of the most significant events of Los Alamos was the Trinity Test site. This was the first large-scale test of a nuclear bomb in history. This test was conducted on July 16th, 1945 in the New Mexico Desert.

Canada

The nuclear bomb was a huge step up for the USA in WWII. The impact of this weapon changed the view of America’s military forces. This weapon was so much more powerful than any weaponry before it. These atom bombs have gone down in history as the first and only nuclear bombs that have ever been detonated. Having this weapon in the US’s hands helps deter attacks on the US.

Although Canada isn’t talked about as a vital part in the Manhattan project, it still had quite a vital impact. There were a couple of project sites in Canada, and there were a couple of reasons for that. First, uranium and plutonium needed for the bombs was found in mines in the Northwest Territories. Second, testing of progressive fission ideas started in Ontario in 1942.

The Trinity Test

A Photo of the Trinity Test Explosion

One of the most significant events of the Manhattan project was the Trinity Test. This was the first large-scale test of a nuclear bomb. It happened on July 16th, 1945, in the New Mexico desert. This was the first atomic detonation in the world. This explosion worked better than expected, and had the explosive power of over 20,000 tons of TNT. Considering that the bomb itself was roughly the size of a table, this makes this a highly impressive statistic. The explosion created a fireball and a mushroom cloud extending about 40,000 ft. The explosion could be see for miles, but citizens in the surrounding areas didn’t know what it was.