THE MANHATTAN PROJECT

The Manhattan Project was the endeavor during World War II of the United States to develop an atomic bomb.  It was a top secret project that everyone suspected was going on.  The Germans had a similar project at the same time.  It was a race.  We used the bombs to end the war with Japan by dropping two such bombs on their mainland - the only use ever of nuclear weapons in war.

The Manhattan Project was no small feat.  It was named after the military district in which the plans were first developed - Manhattan District of the Corp of Engineers.  The initial feasibility and model studies were done at various sites in New York City with research done at nearby Columbia University. 

Once the project was underway, the headquarters was placed at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  There, fissionable material for one of the bombs was manufactured.  The bomb itself was constructed at the Los Alamos, New Mexico site.  If you think that is all, think again.  Top Secret work making parts and materials went on at other locations around the country; Ames, IA, Detroit, MI, Chicago, IL, Dayton, OH, Decatur, IL, Grand Junction, CO, Hanford, WA, Idaho Falls, ID, and universities such as Cal Tech, MIT, Purdue and Chicago. 

It was a huge effort by many people.  It ended the war more quickly than expected but also ushered in the Nuclear Age and the Cold War.  The benefits of atomic energy are vast but so is the responsibility.  It is a difficult ball to control.  Let's hope we never drop the ball.

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