Oppenheimer: who is the physicist who inspired Nolan’s film?

The newest film Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimerbring Cillian Murphy in the role of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The premiere in theaters in Brazil is scheduled for July 20, but before securing your ticket, understand some points about the film:

Who was Oppenheimer?

Julius Rupert Oppenheimer was born in New York City in 1904. He was the son of a successful textile importer of Jewish and German origin. He studied chemistry at Harvard Universityand physics in University of Cambridge and on Gottingen Universitycompleting his studies in 1927.

What was the Manhattan Project?

As a renowned theoretical physicist, Oppenheimer was invited to participate in the Manhattan Project. Shortly before the start of World War II, still in August 1939, the then president of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt received a letter with a tone of alarm. The message was signed by Leo Szilard and nothing more, nothing less than albert einstein. The physicists wrote in the document, which became known as the Einstein-Szilárd letter, about an alleged plan by Germany to develop a nuclear bomb. Years later, in 1942, the Manhattan Project began, with the aim of obtaining the technology before the European country.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Oppenheimer became one of the main responsible for the development of the atomic bomb. After a test in the operation named “Trinity”, on July 16, 1945, the weapon’s potential was proven. On August 6 and 9 of that same year, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, were bombed in retaliation for the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a US base. It is estimated that over 100,000 people died. The physicist, however, recognized his role in the face of the tragedy:

Now I have become Death, the destroyer of worlds.

Death

Julius disapproved of the decision taken by the US government, started to defend atomic control, and became the target of FBI. He moved to the Virgin Islands and died of laryngeal cancer at the age of 62.