THE FIRST NUCLEAR BOMB IN HISTORY
Oppenheimer worked to supervise the production of the two nuclear bombs, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man." A site near Alamogordo, New Mexico, dubbed "Trinity," was chosen to test the first atomic bomb. On July 16, 1945, the plutonium bomb was successfully detonated, marking the beginning of the atomic age.
Oppenheimer's reaction to the bomb's successful detonation was one of relief and discomfort. He was relieved that it had worked, but deeply discomforted by the bomb's immense destructive capacity. While Trinity marked the conclusion of that Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer's conflict over his role in the creation of the bomb would be a continuous struggle.
Oppenheimer's reaction to the bomb's successful detonation was one of relief and discomfort. He was relieved that it had worked, but deeply discomforted by the bomb's immense destructive capacity. While Trinity marked the conclusion of that Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer's conflict over his role in the creation of the bomb would be a continuous struggle.
"But when you come right down to it, the reason that we did this job is because it was an organic necessity. If you are a scientist you cannot stop such a thing. If you are a scientist you believe that it is good to find out how the world works; that it is good to find out what the realities are; that it is good to turn over to mankind at large the greatest possible power to control the world and to deal with it according to its lights and values."
— J. Robert Oppenheimer, Speech to Los Alamos, Oct. 17, 1945
— J. Robert Oppenheimer, Speech to Los Alamos, Oct. 17, 1945