ShreyaThe Truth Outted
In the history of mankind, the first atomic bomb was dropped by America on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. Oak Ridge was the headquarters of the entire project, later known as the Manhattan project.
The Headlines
One of the newspaper headlines read- “Oak Ridge Attacks Japan.” The atomic attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki put an end to WWII and America won after Japan surrendered. But what role did Oak Ridge play?
Nuclear Arms Race
After escaping from Italy and Germany, scientists Enrico Fermi and Albert Einstein came to the U.S where they influenced the American government to keep their nuclear pursuits under wraps. And how did they manage to keep something so grand a secret?
Systematic Secrecy
The location of Oak Ridge and its small population served as a perfect place for a secret project. It was not easily accessible which made it conducive to the needs of the government.
There Were More
The Manhattan project was a joint American-British-Canadian program. So Oak Ridge was not the only place actively engaged in the top secret mission. Hanford/Richland in Washington state and Los Alamos, New Mexico were also the places where the nuclear attack was being planned.
Astonishing Fact
One of the plants in Oak Ridge, K-25 was actually the largest building in the world at the time of WWII. Oak Ridge was also the place of the centers for nuclear medicine and radiation therapy which was one of the first in the country.