National Museum of Nuclear Science & HistoryHistory
History
This section provides an overview of the history of the Manhattan Project, the key organizations involved, the science behind the bomb, and more.
Atomic Glossary
Some of the terms encountered when perusing the website can be confusing or obscure. This glossary is provided to assist readers and learners of Manhattan Project history.
Atomic Veterans 1946-1962
From 1946 to 1962, the United States conducted about 200 atmospheric nuclear tests--more than the other nuclear states put together at that time.[1] Approximately 400,000 servicemen in the US Army, Navy, and Marines were present during these atmospheric tests,[2] whether as witnesses to the tests themselves or as post-test cleanup crews.
Atomic Veterans: Enewetak Atoll
The Marshall Islands in the Pacific were subjected to 67 nuclear tests from 1946 to 1958.[1] Some of the most notable operations included Operation Crossroads, which examined the effects of nuclear explosions on Navy ships; Operation Greenhouse, which focused on reducing the size and weight of an atomic bomb an
Bataan Death March
On April 9, 1942, the American troops on the Bataan Peninsula of the Philippines surrendered to the Japanese. The captured men were then subjected to the torturous Bataan Death March.
Big Science - 1942
President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the research, development, and production of an atomic bomb despite great uncertainties.
Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - 1945
The first atomic bomb, Little Boy, was dropped on Japan on August 6, 1945.
Britain's Early Input - 1940-41
The Frisch-Peierls Memorandum was an important assessment confirming the feasibility of an atomic bomb.
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