The Manhattan Project is one of the most transformative events of the 20th century. It ushered in the nuclear age with the development of the world’s first atomic bombs. The building of atomic weapons began in 1942 in three secret communities across the nation. As World War II waned in 1945, the United States dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan—forever changing the world.
Top Secret!
The Manhattan Project was a top-secret project focused on building the world's first atomic weapons.
B Reactor Under Construction
Constructing the B Reactor, the world's first full scale nuclear reactor, took hard work and ingenuity.
Ashley Pond
Ashley Pond has been a central part of the Los Alamos community since the days before the Manhattan Project.
Bruggemann Ranch
The Bruggemann Ranch was a major farm that was forcibly evacuated to create the Hanford Site.
Oppenheimer and Groves at Trinity Test Site
J. Robert Oppenheimer and Gen. Leslie Groves at the Trinity Test Site.
The Gadget
Norris Bradbury stands next to the Gadget, the device used in the Trinity Test.
Calutron Girls
The Calutron Girls operated the arrays, or “racetracks”, at Oak Ridge’s Y-12 Electromagnetic Isotope Separation Plant during the Manhattan Project.
International Friendship Bell
The International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge, Tennessee symbolizes peace and reconciliation between the United States and Japan.
