Today marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, an event that not only ended World War II but also forever altered the course of history.
Much of the analysis today will review the debate as to whether the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should have been bombed. However, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the extraordinary American scientific achievements that made such a world-changing event possible, and the lessons we Americans need to relearn.
Part of this reflection is based on this spring’s family visit to Los Alamos, the home of the Manhattan Project. We stopped into the Bradbury Science Museum, which focuses on the history, science, and ongoing research related to the WWII mission and nuclear science in New Mexico. The exhibits gave me a deep appreciation for the astonishing scientific collaboration that brought together brilliant physicists, chemists, mathematicians, and engineers—including J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Niels Bohr. These giants worked around the clock at sites like Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Hanford to unlock the secrets of atomic fission and develop a weapon that could hasten the end of the war while worrying about the possibility that Nazi Germany could beat them in the development race.
I would also like to give a special shout-out to General Leslie Groves, who was the genius organizer who put all the “moving parts” together. One of the men under his command praised him with faint damns.
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