Western Civilizations History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Western Civilizations History - Research Paper Example Einstein explained the probability of sustained nuclear reaction which could have been made with the end result being a possible powerful bomb. Einstein went ahead to explain that these bombs, after their manufacture and when they are ready for use could be transported by ships even with a remote possibility that they could possibly be transported by planes. From the same understanding, Einstein made it clear that it was possible that Germany had already thought of this possibility and were probably thinking about starting production. This idea that Germany could be in production stage was arrived at after it was observed that they had suspended the uranium export that they had previously engaged in so as to use it to manufacture atomic bombs1. This kind of warning was taken seriously by the Roosevelt administration such that within one month, a research committee was constituted. A nuclear program was then introduced by the US under the guidance of Army Corps in the year 1942. This was in a bid to build a weapon before either Japan or Germany had the idea materialized into something lethal before America had their own systems of attack ready. In May of the same year, the president signed the authorization to develop a secret project that would bring about the development of a nuclear weapon. This project was said to be one of the largest projects ever carried out by the United States government. The engineers that were responsible for its construction were given a name that would not suggest the real agenda behind their secret discovery. They were therefore named the Manhattan Engineering District which was later to be referred to as the Manhattan Project. There was a corresponding British company that had the same agenda and they were called the Tube Alloys and it was incorporated to facilitate the development of this new discovery2. The discovery went on underground and the first major development was the manufacture of an atomic bomb in Los Alamos in New Me xico. The site was chiefly disguised as a school and the site produced two bombs whereby one was used to detonate plutonium and the other one was a weapon that resembled a gun in its features. Then there came the relevant search for a test site that would not draw much attention to the enemies. The site chosen was that which had scarce population in Alamogordo and it was given the code name trinity. July 16 of the year 1945 was when the detonation was carried out of the first ever atomic bomb. There was a crater created by the explosion that was more or less equivalent to nearly an amount of TNT close to 20, 000 tons. The Manhattan project managed to facilitate the production of three major bombs. The first one was given the name Gadget, still to avoid landing on the ears of the spies from the enemy countries. The Gadget was also used for test purposes but due to large expenses observed in further testing as the expenses would firmly reduce the rates of production; there were no fur ther unnecessary tests to be done. The two remaining atomic bombs were packed and made ready for Hiroshima and Nagasaki3. A plane that was specifically designed to carry one huge bomb left the Tinian air base on the sixth day of August in the year 1945 at around 2: 45 am. The bomb that was carried in this plane was set to change the course of history for decades to come. The simple plane that carried one simple cargo piece was bound for Hiroshima to facilitate a retaliatory attack and was set to drop the cargo in just about five hours from the departure time. Enola Gay, which was the name of the plane, carried the first bomb of this kind to be used in an area of such magnitude and population. The second such bomb was dropped about five days later. This one was majorly