👉 The Manhattan Project was a secret research and development undertaking during World War II, led by the United States from 1942 to 1946, with the primary goal of developing the first atomic bombs. Initiated in response to fears that Nazi Germany might develop nuclear weapons, the project brought together leading scientists, engineers, and military personnel from various institutions, including Los Alamos National Laboratory. Key figures like J. Robert Oppenheimer oversaw the project, which involved the synthesis of nuclear fission principles and the construction of large-scale facilities for uranium enrichment and plutonium production. The project culminated in the successful detonation of the first atomic bomb, code-named "Trinity," on July 16, 1945, followed by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which effectively ended World War II but also marked the dawn of the nuclear age.
