An atomic bomb is a weapon with great explosive power that results from the sudden release of energy upon the splitting, or fission, of the nuclei of such heavy elements as plutonium or uranium. (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016) This catastrophic bomb was used twice during World War II. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped its first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb was known as "Little Boy", a uranium gun-type bomb that exploded with about thirteen kilotons of force. Three days after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, a twenty one kiloton plutonium device known as "Fat Man.”(Atomic Heritage Foundation, 2012) This paper will discuss the creation and use of the first two atomic bombs.
Early in 1939, German physicists had learned the secrets of splitting a uranium atom. Fears soon spread over the possibility of Nazi scientists utilizing that energy to produce a bomb capable of unspeakable destruction. Scientists Albert Einstein, who fled Nazi persecution, and Enrico Fermi, who escaped Fascist Italy, were now living in the United States. They agreed that President Franklin Roosevelt, must be informed of the dangers of atomic technology in the hands of the Axis powers.
In late 1941, the American started to design and build an atomic bomb, which later received its code name, the Manhattan Project, which was named after one of the initial sites of research, Columbia University in Manhattan, New York. Nuclear facilities were built at Oak Ridge, Tennessee and Hanford, Washington. The main assembly plant was built at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Robert Oppenheimer and Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves was put in charge of putting the pieces together at Los Alamos. After the final bill was tallied, nearly $2 billion had been spent on research and development of the atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project employed over 120,000 Americans. (CTBTO Preparatory Commission, 2010) Secrecy was key. Neither the Germans nor the Japanese could learn of the project. Roosevelt and Churchill also agreed that the Stalin would be kept in the dark. Consequently, there was no public awareness or debate. Keeping 120,000 people quiet would be impossible; therefore only a small privileged cadre of inner scientists and officials knew about the atomic bomb's development. In fact, Vice-President Truman had never heard of the Manhattan Project until he became President Truman.
By the summer of 1945, Oppenheimer was ready to test the first bomb. On July 16, 1945, at Trinity Site near Alamogordo, New Mexico, scientists of the Manhattan Project readied themselves to watch the world's first atomic bomb. The device was affixed to a 100-foot tower and discharged just before dawn. No one was prepared for the result. A blinding flash visible for 200 miles lit up the morning sky. A mushroom cloud reached 40,000 feet, blowing out windows of civilian homes up to 100 miles away. (AMNH, 2013) When the cloud returned to earth it created a half-mile wide crater metamorphosing sand into glass. A cover-up story was quickly released, explaining that a huge ammunition dump had just exploded in the desert. Soon word reached President Truman in Potsdam, Germany that the project was successful.
The two bombs were later transported to the Pacific theater for use against Japan. Paul Tibbets was assigned to command the 509th Composite Group, whose top secret mission was to drop the atomic bomb. In command of 15 B-29’s and 1,800 men, Tibbets and the group went to Wendover Army Air Field in Utah for the training. In March 1945, the 509th moved overseas to Tinian Island in the Marianas chain. On the afternoon of August 5, 1945, U.S. President Harry Truman gave his approval to use the atomic bomb against Japan. At 2:45am, on August 6, Tibbets's plane, the “Enola Gay”, which he named after his mother, and its crew of 12 lifted off North Field on route to Hiroshima. (Bio.com, 2007)
At exactly 8:15am, local time, the world's first atomic bomb, “Little Boy”, used in war exploded. The blast obliterated the city, killing nearly 80,000 people within seconds and wounding nearly the same number. The course of history and the nature of warfare was changed forever. Three days later, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb, “Fat Man”, on Nagasaki, Japan, killing an estimated 40,000 people.(History.com Staff, 2014) The Japanese effectively surrendered six days later, with the official surrender documents being signed on September 2, 1945, bringing an end to World War II.
In my opinion, the atomic bomb is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because with it we ended the war against Japan and we can use it in other future wars if needed. In contrast, I feel it is a curse because other countries could use this deadly weapon against us. In the end, we could destroy all mankind if we all use it against each other. It could all end in one huge, messy, mass destruction, which is quite frightening. It also breaks my heart how all those people in Japan died. I read a few testimonies and they were all very upsetting. In the end, war is was though.
In conclusion, during World War II, American physicists and engineers began a race against Nazi Germany to create the first atomic bomb. This secret four-year project (1941-1945), was code-named “the Manhattan Project,”. Headed by Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves (military head) and J. Robert Oppenheimer (scientific director), the Manhattan Project ultimately cost over two billion dollars. Research took place at secret sites across the U.S., but much of it took place near Los Alamos, New Mexico. Attempting to bring an earlier end to World War II, U.S. President Harry Truman made the decision to drop a massive atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945, this atomic bomb, known as "Little Boy," flattened the city, killing at least 80,000 people that day and tens of thousands more from radiation poisoning.
Three days later, the United States dropped another atomic bomb. This bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man," was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people immediately and another 20,000 to 40,000 in the months following the explosion. These events changed the course of history and the nature of warfare forever.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
i."Atomic Bomb." HISTORY. 2014. Accessed April 05, 2016. http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/atomic-bomb. ii.Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "atomic bomb", accessed April 05, 2016, http://www.britannica.com/technology/atomic-bomb. iii."Manhattan Project." : CTBTO Preparatory Commission. Accessed April 01, 2016. https://www.ctbto.org/nuclear-testing/history-of-nuclear-testing/manhattan-project/. iv."Paul Tibbets." Bio.com. Accessed April 10, 2016. http://www.biography.com/people/paul-tibbets-253510.
v."The Manhattan Project." AMNH. Accessed April 01, 2016. http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/einstein/peace-and-war/the-manhattan-project/. vi."Using the Atomic Bomb - 1945." Atomic Heritage Foundation. Accessed April 01, 2016. http://www.atomicheritage.org/history/using-atomic-bomb-1945.