Listen & Learn: The Manhattan Project

Learn about the project that gave Americans the atomic bomb

• atomic bomb: a bomb that creates energy by splitting atoms
• refugee: someone who leaves a country to escape a threat, such as war or human rights violations
• nuclear fission: the process of splitting the nucleus of an atom to create energy
• peer: someone who belongs to the same social group as someone else, such as age, class, or job
• petition: a document that people sign to show support for a social change
• president: someone who leads a government
• controversial: causing a lot of anger and argument

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

The Manhattan Project was a secret American project during World War II. The was to build an atomic bomb. Refugee from Nazi Germany, including Albert Einstein, the US government to begin the project after the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938. Einstein and his peers feared that the Nazis would use this discovery to build their own atomic bombs. The Manhattan Project began in 1942. The lead scientist was J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is now known as the “father of the atomic bomb.” The first successful atomic bomb was in July of 1945. Soon after, 70 scientists who worked on the project signed a petition to convince the government not to use the bomb without . However, the petition never reached the president. The US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945, killing close to 200,000 people. It is still one of the most controversial military acts in history.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. Nuclear fission was discovered in
   a. 1938
   b. 1942
   c. 1945
   
2. The lead scientist on the Manhattan Project was
   a. Albert Einstein
   b. J. Robert Oppenheimer
   c. Leo Szilard
   
3. 70 Manhattan Project scientists signed a petition to convince the US government
   a. that dropping the bombs on Japan was the only way to end the war
   b. to end all research on the bombs and never use them
   c. not to drop the bombs without warning Japan first

Discussion/essay questions

1. How do you think the world would be different if the US hadn’t started the Manhattan Project? Do you think another country would have built and used an atomic bomb? Why or why not?
2. Is scientific progress always a good thing? Why or why not? How can scientists be responsible when inventing new technology?

Transcript

The Manhattan Project was a secret American project during World War II. The goal was to build an atomic bomb. Refugee scientists from Nazi Germany, including Albert Einstein, convinced the US government to begin the project after the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938. Einstein and his peers feared that the Nazis would use this discovery to build their own atomic bombs. The Manhattan Project began in 1942. The lead scientist was J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is now known as the “father of the atomic bomb.” The first successful atomic bomb test was in July of 1945. Soon after, 70 scientists who worked on the project signed a petition to convince the government not to use the bomb without warning. However, the petition never reached the president. The US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945, killing close to 200,000 people. It is still one of the most controversial military acts in history.

Answers to comprehension questions

1a 2b 3c