Oppenheimer atomic bomb biography of michael j

Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist. During the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer was director of the Los Alamos Laboratory and responsible for the research and design of an atomic bomb.

How old was oppenheimer when he made the bomb

By the time the Manhattan Project was launched in the fall of , Oppenheimer was already considered an exceptional theoretical physicist and had become deeply involved in exploring the possibility of an atomic bomb. Throughout the previous year he had been doing research on fast neutrons, calculating how much material might be needed for a bomb and how efficient it might be.

Although Oppenheimer had little managerial experience and some troublesome past associations with Communist causes, General Leslie Groves recognized his exceptional scientific brilliance. Less than three years after Groves selected Oppenheimer to direct weapons development, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.

As director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, Oppenheimer proved to be an extraordinary choice. Oppenheimer was married to a botanist, Kitty. They had two children, Peter and Toni.

Who invented the atomic bomb formula

Oppenheimer was born on April 22, Felix Adler. The progressive society placed an emphasis on social justice, civic responsibility, and secular humanism. His academic prowess was apparent very early on, and by the age of 10, Oppenheimer was studying minerals, physics, and chemistry. His correspondence with the New York Mineralogical Club was so advanced that the Society invited him to deliver a lecture—not realizing that Robert was a twelve-year-old boy.

He graduated as valedictorian of his high school class in , but fell ill with a near-fatal case of dysentery and was forced to postpone enrolling at Harvard.