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J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Father Of The Atomic Bomb

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J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Father Of The Atomic Bomb
Born on April 22, 1904, J. Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist and professor for the University of California at Berkeley. During WWII, he was appointed as the head of the Los Alamos Laboratory where he played a crucial role in the development of the atomic bomb and gained the nickname "The Father of the Atomic Bomb". After the war, he was appointed the chairman of the General Advisory Energy Commission and served as a prominent voice on the use of nuclear weaponry until passed away at age 62, due to cancer, in 1967. Oppenheimer was born into a wealthy family in New York City. He became interested in science at the age of five when he began to collect rocks and minerals. He attended the New York School for Ethical Culture …show more content…
But there was still a decision to be made on what to do with the bombs. Oppenheimer fought to give full control of the bomb to the Government. He felt a duty as the bombs creator, to make sure it wasn't abused. Plans and agreements were brought to the UN, but after the Soviet Union failed to cooperate, a cold war between the two most powerful countries in the world began. Oppenheimer had one of the loudest voices on the subject and served on many comities regarding its uses from 1945 to 1953. Everybody knew that it was only a matter of time before the soviets developed the bomb themselves, and the United States needed to be prepared. That day came in September of 1949, when the Soviets detonated their first atomic weapon, much sooner than anyone had predicted. The Government immediately suspected of spies, especially Oppenheimer. As all of this was going on, a decision on the development of a new super weapon, the hydrogen bomb, needed to be made. When Oppenheimer announced that he was against the development of the bomb, he was accused as being a Soviet spy. After many hearings, it was ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict him. However, this didn't stop the Atomic Energy Commission from denying his future security
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