J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, is the subject of a new movie by Christopher Nolan that explores his life and legacy. Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, was the head of the Manhattan Project, the secret program that developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II.
Oppenheimer and his team of scientists detonated the first-ever nuclear device at the Trinity test site in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. A few weeks later, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, killing hundreds of thousands of people and forcing Japan to surrender, ending the war.
Oppenheimer’s role in creating the most destructive weapon in history made him a controversial figure. Some hailed him as a hero who helped end the war and usher in a new era of scientific discovery. Others condemned him as a traitor who unleashed a monstrous force that threatened humanity.
Oppenheimer himself struggled with the moral implications of his work. He famously quoted a verse from the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita after witnessing the Trinity explosion: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” He later advocated for international control of nuclear weapons and opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb, a more powerful thermonuclear device.
Oppenheimer’s political views and associations with left-wing groups drew suspicion from the U.S. government during the Cold War. In 1954, he was stripped of his security clearance and accused of being disloyal to the country. He was later reinstated, but his influence in nuclear policy diminished.
Oppenheimer died of throat cancer in 1967 at the age of 62. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century and a complex figure who shaped the course of history.
