Who was J. Robert Oppenheimer? Why was he considered the father of the atomic bomb?

Oppenheimer graduated in chemistry from Harvard University, but was drawn to physics in Cambridge in the UK and then in Göttingen in Germany, one of the world’s leading centres for theoretical physics. Returning to the US, he worked at the University of California and the California Institute of Technology, conducting research in many scientific fields, including nuclear physics, quantum field theory and astrophysics and  found himself in Germany. During his time in Germany, he published many papers contributing to the newly developed quantum theory.  During World War Two, eagerly joined the early efforts his country was making to develop a nuclear weapon. . He became director of the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos laboratory the top-secret U.S. project to develop the atomic bomb. After Oppenheimer had selected a location in Los Alamos, New Mexico, the U.S. Army went about constructing a series of laboratories there. Just three years after the project began, Oppenheimer and his team were ready to test their atomic bomb.  “I guess it worked” were his first words while experimented it and unfortunately it really worked . On 6th August America dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively bringing an end to the Second World War.  Known as “Little Boy”, the uranium bomb exploded with about thirteen kilotons of force. Up to 166,000 people are believed to have died following the explosion. After five years there were around 230,000 people killed directly or indirectly by the bomb’s effects, including burns, radiation sickness and cancer. On 9th August a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki – a 21-kiloton plutonium device known as “Fat Man”.  It is estimated that between 40,000 and 75,000 people died immediately, while another 60,000 people suffered severe injuries. Japan surrendered on 14 August 1945. Oppenheimer resigned as director of the Los Alamos laboratory.  Considered a son of bitch by U.S:President  Harry Truman he became an Atomic Energy Commission advisor, but then  he  lost the position by opposing the development of a hydrogen bomb. In 1954, Oppenheimer was officially accused of being a Soviet spy and later  he had associated with Communist Party members, and certainly Soviet spies had intercepted the Manhattan Project, but there was no evidence. Oppenheimer helped establish the World Academy of Art and Science along with Albert Einstein. Until his death of cancer throat in 1967, Oppenheimer continued lecturing around the world. In 1963 he was given the Enrico Fermi Award by US President John F. Kennedy. the film borrows liberally from the book as it surveys Oppenheimer’s life. In his later years, Oppenheimer continued to lobby for international control of nuclear weapons and atomic energy.

I suggest to see the movie: Oppenheimer. It was realesed on 21st July and  I’m still collecting my thoughts after experiencing it.  It is  an epic biographic thriller  and  surpasses Bohemian Rhapsody, which previously held the box office record for this kind of films.  It subverts the usual biopic formula to create a  layered examination of a man throughout all of his incredible accomplishments and fundamental flaws. This film is a masterclass in weaving narratives and different time periods. One downside: it’s too long so if you are not interested in this genre it’s better to do something else but I assure it is an authentic audio-visual journey to the era of the birth of atomic genesis.