J. Robert Oppenheimer

J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) was an American theoretical physicist and one of the key scientists involved in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. He was born in New York City and studied at Harvard University and the University of Cambridge before joining the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley.

During World War II, Oppenheimer was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, a top-secret U.S. government program to develop the first nuclear weapons. As the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, he oversaw the design and testing of the bomb, which was eventually dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of the war.

Oppenheimer's contributions to the field of physics were numerous and included groundbreaking work in quantum mechanics, cosmology, and nuclear physics. He was widely regarded as one of the preeminent physicists of his time and played a central role in the development of the atomic bomb.

After the war, Oppenheimer became an outspoken opponent of the nuclear arms race and a leading advocate for arms control and disarmament. He was also involved in the development of the hydrogen bomb, but later came to regret his involvement in its creation.

Oppenheimer's political views and associations came under scrutiny during the anti-communist fervor of the 1950s, and he was ultimately stripped of his security clearance by the U.S. government. He continued to teach and conduct research, but his reputation as a scientist was tarnished by the controversy surrounding his security clearance. Oppenheimer died of throat cancer in 1967.

Robert Oppenheimer was awarded the Fermi Award in 1963 for his contributions to theoretical physics and his leadership of the Manhattan Project during World War II. The award citation recognized Oppenheimer's "outstanding contributions to theoretical physics" and his "leadership and creativity" in directing the development of the first atomic bomb.