Julius Robert Oppenheimer was a revered American scientist whose life was a paradox of brilliance and regrets. ‘The father of the atomic bomb’ changed the course of history with his creation of the bomb. The bombs, 'Fat Man' and 'Little Boy', destroyed the civilisation in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
The notable scientist was not only curious about the mysteries of science but also had a political and religious fascination, and his life was full of achievements and miseries alike.
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As Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is all set to hit the theatres on July 21, 2023, let us tell you a few interesting facts about the American theoretical physicist, Robert J Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer was born in New York on April 22, 1904. He was the son of secular Ashkenazi Jews of German origin, Julius and Ella Oppenheimer. The Oppenheimer family was extremely wealthy, his father was a textile importer, and his mother was a well-regarded professional artist.
Oppenheimer was exceptional in studies since his childhood. While in school, he developed a deep interest in physics and mathematics. His intellectual prowess led him to Harvard University, where he excelled in Latin, Greek, Physics, and Chemistry. Along with his studies, he also published poetry and explored Eastern philosophy.
Oppenheimer left for England after receiving his degree in 1925 to conduct research at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge under Ernest Rutherford. He got the chance to work with the British scientific community at Cavendish in order to take forward the cause of atomic research.
Oppenheimer was invited by Max Born to the University of Gottingen, where he met notable physicists like Niels Bohr and P.A.M. Dirac and earned his doctorate in 1927. His career soared after he returned to the United States to give classes on physics at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology after brief stints at science institutes in Leiden and Zurich.
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Oppenheimer witnessed the zenith of his career when the U.S. government invited him to develop the atomic bomb. The physicists Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard, and Eugene Wigner forewarned the American administration of the danger threatening all of humanity if the Nazis were to be the first to develop a nuclear bomb following Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939.
Oppenheimer then started looking for a method to separate uranium-235 from natural uranium and to calculate the amount of uranium needed to create such a device. Beginning in 1942, the Manhattan Project saw British and American physicists collaborating to find a means to harness nuclear energy for military purposes.
Oppenheimer was tasked with setting up and running a laboratory to complete this task. In 1943 he chose the plateau of Los Alamos, near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The group led by Oppenheimer determined the chain reaction threshold necessary for the weapon, and in 1945, they tested the nuclear bomb in the New Mexico desert.
‘The world will never be the same again’ were the words Oppenheimer uttered as soon as the bomb was detonated at the test site. The U.S. dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki three days apart in August 1945. Tens of thousands of innocent Japanese civilians were the victims of these bombs.
All Oppenheimer could recall at the time was a Sanskrit verse that read, ‘Now I have become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’ After hearing of the destruction, Oppenheimer opposed the bombs' further development and left his position at the Los Alamos Laboratory.
He and his coworkers agreed that the second bomb wasn't essential. He forcefully advocated for the prohibition of nuclear weapons in the context of the war in a letter that he handed to Secretary of War, Henry Stimson.
Oppenheimer received nominations for the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1945, 1951, and 1967. But alas, he never won any, and his contemporaries received the honour. However, Oppenheimer collaborated with Ernest O. Lawrence, an experimental physicist whose research won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
The brilliant scientist had a notorious love life. He was engaged in a lot of scandalous extramarital relationships. Most of his affairs came into the limelight as he was under C.I.A.’s surveillance. He got married to Kitty Harrison in 1940. She was already married to a physician named Richard Harrison when Oppenheimer impregnated her. He also had an affair with Ruth Tolman, the wife of Richard Tolman, a physicist and fellow member of the Manhattan Project. Despite being married, he continued his long-time relationship with Jean Tatlock.
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Christoper Nolan isn’t the first to direct a film on this American scientist's life and work. Hollywood has always been fascinated by the Manhattan Project and Oppenheimer. This subject can be seen in films like Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) and The Beginning or the End (1947). The BBC TV show, Oppenheimer (1980), won three BAFTAs that year.
Oppenheimer realised the potential of these bombs and the destruction they could bring if they were misused. Eventually, he was appointed as the United States Atomic Energy Commission's Advisory Committee Chair. He used his strategic position to advocate for nuclear power on a global scale.
Oppenheimer had a keen interest in Hindu scriptures, and he took the time to learn Sanskrit. He learned all there was to know about the subject, much like the other scientists. He acknowledged that his thinking was influenced by the Bhagavad Gita.
After World War 2 ended, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union intensified. This marked a turning point in Oppenheimer’s life. He came under political suspicion due to his earlier support to the communists. He used to give financial support to communist organisations and was friends with well-known members.
Oppenheimer’s job offered him access to sensitive information, so he was under constant surveillance. The F.B.I. placed Oppenheimer's name on its Custodial Detention List for arrest in the event of a national emergency. This event had a long-lasting impact on Oppenheimer, overshadowing his scientific achievements and butchering his reputation.
In 1967, Oppenheimer took his last breath. He was diagnosed with throat cancer which was linked to his excessive cigarette smoking. Around 600 notables attended his memorial service.
Oppenheimer’s legacy invokes both admiration and introspection when it comes to science. What are your thoughts?
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