How The Transition Into The Atomic Age

The transition into the atomic age began in the early 1900s, when scientists began researching the atom. In 1938 they discovered something called fission, the process of splitting an atom. Due to the second world war breaking out the research of atoms eventually turned to the research of weapons. A few of the leading countries in the race for an atomic weapon were Germany, the United States, and the Soviet Union. After several years of research the U.S. developed and tested the first atomic bomb named either the Gadget or project Trinity. Later the U.S. made two more bombs, which were then dropped on two Japanese cities taking everyone into the atomic age. The research on the atom originally started to find a way to produce energy, before it was used in weapons. When the second world war broke out and knowledge of the German atomic research became known many scientists petitioned the American government to …show more content…
Ninety percent of Hiroshima was destroyed as was large amounts of Nagasaki. There wouldn’t have been much useable land left even if there hadn’t been radiation left behind. There wouldn’t have been people around to use it anyway as 275,000 people died directly as a result of the two bombs over a period of five years after they were dropped. One bomb should have been enough to get a surrender from the Japaneses military if used. It is not surprising that they surrendered after both were used.
The discovery of fission had a tremendous effect on the world, starting to bring the world into the atomic age. It caused the research of nuclear weapons. It then lead to the first atomic bomb called the Gadget. That then lead to the Fat Man and Little boy atom bombs. Finally it caused the bombing of the two cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the morality of the scientists and leaders of the time and their actions could be called into question, they certainly brought the world into the atomic