How the Manhattan Project Led to a Culture of Secrecy in the U.S.

In 1942, the United States embarked on a secret project designed with one goal in mind: beat Nazi Germany in developing the atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project took America's best and brightest physicists and challenged them to produce a weapon unlike any other in history—from pure theory alone—in hopes of ending World War II. The effort not only produced a working nuclear weapon in just three years, it also served as a model for the military industrial complex that still exists today.

In this Pop Mech short, historian Alex Wellerstein explains the history of the Manhattan Project, from its origins as a glimmer in the eyes of a handful of physicists in the years before World War II to the world's first nuclear explosion on July 16, 1945. Alex then explains how the U.S.-USSR Cold War rivalry fueled further development of nuclear weapons, and seduced the U.S. government into creating a permanent world of government secrecy.

View in Browser  SHOP EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBE How the Manhattan Project Led to a Culture of Secrecy in the U.S. How the Manhattan Project Led to a Culture of Secrecy in the U.S. In 1942, the United States embarked on a secret project designed with one goal in mind: beat Nazi Germany in developing the atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project took America's best and brightest physicists and challenged them to produce a weapon unlike any other in history—from pure theory alone—in hopes of ending World War II. The effort not only produced a working nuclear weapon in just three years, it also served as a model for the military industrial complex that still exists today. In this Pop Mech short, historian Alex Wellerstein explains the history of the Manhattan Project, from its origins as a glimmer in the eyes of a handful of physicists in the years before World War II to the world's first nuclear explosion on July 16, 1945. Alex then explains how the U.S.-USSR Cold War rivalry fueled further development of nuclear weapons, and seduced the U.S. government into creating a permanent world of government secrecy. In 1942, the United States embarked on a secret project designed with one goal in mind: beat Nazi Germany in developing the atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project took America's best and brightest physicists and challenged them to produce a weapon unlike any other in history—from pure theory alone—in hopes of ending World War II. The effort not only produced a working nuclear weapon in just three years, it also served as a model for the military industrial complex that still exists today. In this Pop Mech short, historian Alex Wellerstein explains the history of the Manhattan Project, from its origins as a glimmer in the eyes of a handful of physicists in the years before World War II to the world's first nuclear explosion on July 16, 1945. Alex then explains how the U.S.-USSR Cold War rivalry fueled further development of nuclear weapons, and seduced the U.S. government into creating a permanent world of government secrecy. Read More Read More Why the Learjet Is Such a Badass Plane Even Frank Sinatra fell in love with the world's first mass-produced business jet. Read More It's Not Just You—Most of Us Believe in at Least One Conspiracy Theory, Scientists Say A new meta analysis of 170 studies identifies qualities of people who believe conspiracy theories. Here's what it found. Read More These Power Strips and Surge Protectors Save Energy and Protect Your Devices, All at Once Protect your electronics and multiply your outlets. Read More An Investigator Says She's Finally Solved the Identity of Jack the Ripper At last, we know the real name of the world's most famous serial killer. Read More A Mysterious Light Has Been Blinking in Space Every 21 Minutes for 35 Years Scientists have no idea what it is. Read More Follow Us Unsubscribe | Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection PopularMechanics.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019