The Manhattan Project: The First Nuclear Bomb

The Manhattan project started by the United States Military in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada in order to develop a nuclear bomb to use to force the axis powers to surrender thus ending World War II. While the nuclear bombs were never dropped on Germany or anywhere in Europe, the nuclear bombs Little Boy and Big Boy were dropped in Japan to end the war in the pacific and bringing a close to the most deadly war in history, just as they were intended to do. The Manhattan Project was started on the 13th of August 1942 almost one year after the United states entered the war after the attacks on Pearl Harbor on September 7th 1942. When the Manhattan Project began the main target of the nuclear bombs was the Nazi regime in Germany.

The bombs did their jobs and Japan surrendered shortly after. The loss of life was catastrophic, and the bombs turned both cities into piles of rubble. For generations after, the descendants of the people affected by the massive amounts of radiation were often born with disabilities or severe medical conditions. The two bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the last nuclear bombs used in war. The Manhattan Project began in Oak Ridge, Tennessee in a top secret bunker where scientists from the United States, Great Britain, and Canada met to design and construct the first nuclear bomb. While the bomb was created in Tennessee, the actual explosion site was at the Trinity Bomb Site in New Mexico. The explosion made the area surrounding the impact zone a radioactive wasteland, but now the radiation has become very weak and you can even visit the Trinity Site today. After the creation and use of the nuclear bomb, foreign nations spent millions to develop their own nuclear weapons. This lead to the development of nuclear powerhouses such as the Soviet Union. As tensions rose between the United States and the Soviet Union after the 1950’s the threat of nuclear war threatened the human