The Atom Bomb
Shortly before the First World War, two German scientists, James Franck and Gustav Hertz carried out experiments where they bombarded mercury atoms with electrons and traced the energy change as a result of the collision. Their experiments helped to substantiate their theory put forward by Niels Bohr that an atom can absorb internal energy only in precise and definite amounts.
In 1921 two Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner, discovered nuclear isomers. Over the next few years they have devoted their time to study the use of radioactive methods of chemical problems.
In the 1930s they became interested in research conducted by Enrico Fermi and Emilio Segre at the University of Rome. This includes experiments in which elements such as uranium bombarded with neutrons. By 1935, two men were discovered slow neutrons, which have properties important to the operation of nuclear reactors.
Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner is now joined by Fritz Strassmann and discovered that uranium nuclei split when bombarded with neutrons. In 1938 Meitner, like other Jews in Nazi Germany, was dismissed from his post as the university. She moved to Sweden and in the same year she wrote an article on nuclear fission with her nephew, Otto Frisch, where they argued that by splitting the atom can be used several kilograms of uranium to create an explosive and destructive force of many thousands of pounds of dynamite.
In January 1939, Conference on Physics held in Washington in the United States. It was a great opportunity to build an atomic bomb. Some scholars argue that the technical problems associated with the production of such a bomb was too difficult to overcome, but one thing they were agreed that if such weapons were developed, it would give a country that possessed it the power to blackmail the rest of the world . Some scientists at the conference expressed the opinion that it is vital that all information on nuclear energy, should be readily available for all countries to stop this happening.
On August 2, 1939, three Jewish scientists who fled to the U.S. from Europe, Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner, wrote a joint letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, about the events occurring in the field of nuclear physics. They warned Roosevelt that scientists in Germany are working on the possibility of using uranium to produce nuclear weapons.
Roosevelt responded to the establishment of a scientific advisory committee to investigate this matter. He also held talks with the British government on how to sabotage the efforts of Germany to manufacture nuclear weapons.
Uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima
In May 1940, Germany invaded Denmark, the home of Niels Bohr, a leading specialist in the world of atomic research. There were fears that he will be forced to work in Nazi Germany. With the help of the British Secret Service he escaped to Sweden before moving to the United States.
In 1942, the Manhattan Project engineer, was established in the United States under the command of Brigadier General Leslie Groves. Scientists hired to produce the atomic bomb included Robert Oppenheimer (USA), David Bohm (USA), Leo Szilard (Hungary), Eugene Wigner (Hungary), Rudolf Peierls (Germany), Otto Frisch (Germany), Felix Bloch (Switzerland), Niels Bohr (Denmark), James Franck (Germany), James Chadwick (Britain), Emilio Segre (Italy), Enrico Fermi (Italy), Klaus Fuchs (Germany), and Edward Teller (Hungary).
Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt were deeply concerned that Germany would produce a nuclear bomb before the Allies. At a conference in Quebec City in August 1943, it was decided to try to disrupt the German nuclear program.
In February 1943, SOE saboteurs successfully planted a bomb in the Rjukan nitrates factory in Norway. Once it was rebuilt it was destroyed in 150 American bombers in November 1943. Two months later the Norwegian resistance managed to sink a German boat of vital supplies for its nuclear program.
Meanwhile, scientists working on a project to develop atomic bomb Manhattan-based uranium and plutonium. The first three bombs had been completed successfully tested at Alamogordo, New Mexico July 16, 1945.
By the time the atomic bomb was ready to use Germany surrendered. Leo Szilard and James Franck circulated a statement among scientists against using the bomb on moral grounds. Nevertheless, the advice was ignored by the Harry S. Truman, the new U.S. president, and he decided to use the bomb on Japan.
August 6, 1945 B29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima
It has been estimated that over the years about 200 thousand people were killed in the bomb dropped. Japan did not surrender immediately and a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki three days later. August 10 the Japanese surrendered. World War II ended.
