Atomic Dawn by J.E. Driemen PowerPoint by Andrei Jungkman Robert Oppenheimer Atomic Dawn by J.E. Driemen PowerPoint by Andrei Jungkman

Introduction Born April 22, 1904 in New York City, New York. Was the “father” of the Manhattan Project, the first atomic bomb Died February 18, 1967, at the age of 62, of cancer in the throat I chose this person because I think that the atomic bomb is a very interesting topic and I wanted to know more about it and the people that worked on it.

Childhood & Adolescence On April 22, 1904, Robert Oppenheimer was born. He was a happy child even though his parents were not wealthy. He still received a lot of attention and love. When he was five, he traveled with his parents to Germany to visit the Oppenheimer’s ancestral home. His grandfather, Ben, gave him a sample of rocks and minerals; soon after that, Robert’s favorite hobby was collecting and cataloging rock samples. Robert was not very athletic and disliked to do any physical activity, he made up for it by being an outstanding student. As Robert grew older, he did become skilled at one sport- sailing. When he was 14, his classmates were annoyed with his showing off so they locked him in an icehouse naked overnight. When he was 18, his father gave him a twenty-eight foot long sailboat. He named it Trimethy. In his last year of studies, Robert finished with perfect marks, and as a reward, his parents took him overseas to Germany again. While there, seventeen year old Robert went collecting in the mountains. He worked too hard at it and as a result, he suffered from indigestion problems all his life.

Adulthood Robert got accepted at Harvard in 1922, but could not go due to an illness he got. His father suggested he take the year off from school and Robert spent this year locked in his room. In the next 5 years, Oppenheimer jumped from college to college learning new things in the science world. In 1926, Robert was in Germany studying at the University of Gottingën. Robert got his PhD in physics at Gottingën. Oppenheimer took a job at Berkeley to start the physics department there,. He spent the spring teaching at Caltech in Pasadena, in the first couple of years teaching, his students were terrified by his rudeness and inconsistent teaching. It took Oppenheimer 5 years to “mellow down”. But, once he did, he was a caring teacher who would help everyone with anything. In October of 1931, Robert’s mother died. This was a great time of sorrow for Robert but it brought him and his father closer together. In 1942, Oppenheimer was chosen as the director for the Manhattan Project, an effort to make an atomic bomb. He lead a team of 1500 scientists and they successfully built an atomic bomb.

Adulthood In 1945, at Los Alamos bombing area, the first atomic bomb was set off. This marked the dawn of the nuclear age. Oppenheimer quoted that “I am become death, destroyer of worlds”. He worried that the atomic bomb might be too much power for one nation to have for itself. Due to Robert’s unenthusiastic approach to the atomic bomb, the United States thought he was a traitor to his country. In 1954, they held a hearing and Robert’s security clearance was taken way. He was no longer allowed to work on physics projects for the government. In 1955, the Enrico Fermi Award was established. It is given to a person who’s work contributed to the development, use of, or control of atomic energy. Robert Oppenheimer won this award in 1963 for his outstanding work at Los Alamos. Robert became ill in 1966 and on February 18, 1967, he died at the age of 62. He died at his home in Princeton, New Jersey.

Timeline 1904- J.Robert Oppenheimer is born on April 22 in New York 1940- Marries Katherine Harrison 1927- Receives Ph.D in physics from the university of Gottingën. 1925- Graduates from Harvard University with top honors. 1942- Oppenheimer chosen as director of the Manhattan Project 1963- Oppenheimer wins Enrico Fermi Award on December 2nd 1954- Oppenheimer’s security clearance is taken away 1967- Dies on February 18, in Princeton, New Jersey 1945- First atomic bomb exploded. July 16th at the trinity test site

Positive Contributions Robert Oppenheimer contributed greatly to the fields of physics and nuclear science. He successfully led 1,500 scientists to make the world’s first atomic bomb. Robert was the director the of the Manhattan Project, the first attempt to make a bomb by splitting an atom. The Father Of the Atomic Bomb

Most Interesting Story In the spring of 1926, Oppenheimer went with two friends on a vacation to take a walking trip across the island of Corsica. On the last night in Corsica. Oppenheimer suddenly announced that he had left a poisoned apple on the desk of Patrick Blackett, a physicist he was working for. He left to make sure Blackett hadn’t eaten it. No poisoned apple was found but Robert's friend Jeffries Wymon suggested Oppenheimer might have done a scientific paper for Blackett and realized something was wrong and he worried it might “poison” his reputation. The paper was most likely the “poisoned apple”.

Three questions you would want to ask the person, if you could 1. Was making the atomic bomb difficult? 2. How did you feel when you were betrayed by America? 3. What do you mean by your quote ”I am become death, destroyer of worlds” ?

Collage Robert Oppenheimer with General Groves at the site of the test explosion Robert working with Albert Einstein Oppenheimer is awarded the Enrico Fermi Award by President Lyndon Johnson Robert teaching at the physics department at Berkeley

Bibliography - Drieman, J.E. Atomic Dawn. Minneapolis; Dillon Press,©1989.

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