HISTORY83 - J. Robert Oppenheimer
My last blog was about the history of the super-secret Manhattan Project that produced the first atomic bombs during World War II. J. Robert Oppenheimer was chief scientist of that effort; the Manhattan Project cannot be fully understood without knowing details of the life of this man. So, this blog will be a summary of Oppenheimer’s life and his contributions to nuclear science. After a short introduction, I will cover Oppenheimer’s early life and education, his studies in Europe, his early career in California, his private and political life, his work on the Manhattan Project, his post-war activities, his security hearing, his final years, and end with a discussion of his legacy. My principal sources include: American Prometheus , by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, 2005; “J. Robert Oppenheimer,” Wikipedia.com; “J. Robert Oppenheimer - American Physicist,” Britannica.com; “The True Story of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s Life,” time.com; “J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904 -...