The Demon Core
Harry Daghlian did not expect a simple breach of safety protocols to lead to his death. On the evening of August 21, 1945, Daghlian went alone to work on his project at the Los Alamos site. While adding reflective brick walls made up of tungsten carbide around a plutonium core, his equipment notified him that […]
Accidentally Discovering Nuclear Fission
The year is 1935 and Lise Meitner, Otto Hahn, and Fritz Strassmann are working tirelessly to understand which heavy natural elements change under neutron bombardment. Three years later, they had discovered around 10 different half-life activities of natural elements. Soon after, Hahn and Strassman discover 6 more. While bombarding these elements with neutrons, they were […]
Nuclear Bomb Fracking?
You may be surprised to hear that in Colorado, they tried using nuclear bombs for a very unique goal: fracking to extract natural oil and gas. Post World War II, people were eagerly trying to find usefulness for nuclear weapons that did not involve war or killing. This idea was the driving force behind what […]
Jane Puckett and the Manhattan Project
We may not often hear stories of women’s roles during the Manhattan Project. One notable woman named Jane Puckett had a great influence on the future atomic bomb. Women were not allowed to enroll in the engineering program at the University of Tennessee in the 1940s, so Jane graduated with a degree in business statistics. […]
Former Energy Workers Book Recommendations
Book Recommendations for Former Energy Workers Many of you have lived through the Manhattan Project or another key event that led nuclear energy to where it is today. There are many books out there that may interest you on the subject, so we have pulled together a few that you can read at the click […]
An American Nuclear Energy Betrayal
In 2007 at the East Tennessee Technology Park (formerly known as the K-25 plant) in Oak Ridge, TN, a former janitor betrayed his country. Roy Lynn Oakley was a janitor at the K-25 plant in 2006 and 2007. Oakley contacted the French Embassy to determine the country’s interest in purchasing nuclear goods. He attempted to […]
Eisenhower’s Apology
Race and Reputation During the Cold War arms race, the United States also fought to win the support and friendship of other countries – particularly those in Africa and Asia. Meanwhile, racial prejudice and segregation plagued much of the country. In 1957, Ghanian Finance Minister, Komla Agbeli Gbedemah experienced the racism in America when he […]
The Father of the Atomic Bomb
J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American theoretical physicist, is known by many as the “father of the atomic bomb.” Oppenheimer, born in 1904, was incredibly bright throughout his life. He lectured at the New York Mineralogical Club when he was 12 years old, and he later earned a degree in chemistry from Harvard within three years. […]
Einstein’s (small) role in the Manhattan Project
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist. He wasn’t allowed to work on the Manhattan Project because of concerns about him being a security risk due to his birthplace and political ideology, but he did play a role in the steps leading to the project. He was living in the United States in 1939 at […]
From Army Engineer to Director of the Manhattan Project
Leslie groves as Major General Leslie Richard Groves grew up on military bases, as his father was an army chaplain. Naturally, he was drawn to the military, and joined the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1916, when he was 19 years old. He graduated fourth in his class in 1918, […]