Oppenheimers family was part of the Ethical Culture Society, an outgrowth of American Reform Judaism founded and led at the time by Dr. Felix Adler. Although the scientist lived the majority of his life in New York, California, and New Jersey, the Oppenheimer family leased and subsequently purchased a second home in the northern Pecos Valley during the late 1920s. [12], , . His father was a German immigrant who became a wealthy textile importer. Robert Oppenheimer [Robert Oppenhemer] Birth. Many believe that she decided to end her life after suffering from depression. If you don't name it, he probably still aced it. , - , " [%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A4%D7%A0%D7%94%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%A8 : ], '. Music and art were always prominent in the Oppenheimer household. It was the perfect time and place for the future physicist to have entered the world: the turn of the century ushered in a golden age of technological advances, and the power of science seemed infinite. "Julius Robert Oppenheimer (April 22, 1904 February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist and professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. Born 22 Apr 1904 in New York City, New York, United States. J. Robert Oppenheimer, also known as "the father of the atomic bomb", was an American nuclear physicist and director of the Los Alamos Laboratory (Manhattan Project). The joint effort of outstanding scientists at Los Alamos culminated in the first nuclear explosion on July 16, 1945, at the Trinity Site near Alamogordo, New Mexico, after the surrender of Germany. His correspondence with the New York Mineralogical Club was so advanced that the Society invited him to deliver a lecturenot realizing that Robert was a twelve-year-old boy. Robert stayed at a dude ranch 25 miles northeast of Santa Fe with high school teacher Herbert Smith as a companion and mentor. While many of the details were already known, the newly released material bolstered Oppenheimers assertions of loyalty and reinforced the perception that a brilliant scientist had been brought low by a bureaucratic cocktail of professional jealousy and McCarthyism. His mother, Ella Friedman, was a painter whose family had been in New York for generations. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Oppenheimers old Communist sympathies were dredged up and his clearance was revoked a mere 32 hours before it was set to expire. [6]:179203. What did J. Robert Oppenheimer do in the Manhattan Project? Harry Oppenheimer is also featured, however to a lesser extent. . ' , , . By the time the Manhattan Project was launched in the fall of 1942, Oppenheimer was already considered an exceptional theoretical physicist and had become deeply involved in exploring the possibility of an atomic bomb. His parents were Julius Oppenheimer and Ella Freidmen. He would eventually lose his security clearance amid . J. Robert Oppenheimer and Ernest Lawrence, Oppenheimer with the "Gadget" before the Trinity test, General Leslie R. Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer after the successful Trinity test, Ernest Lawrence, Glenn Seaborg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, John von Neumann, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the MANIAC computer. , , , . , .[13]. After provoking the ire of many politicians with his outspoken opinions during the Second Red Scare, he suffered the revocation of his security clearance in a much-publicized hearing in 1954, and was effectively stripped of his direct political influence; he continued to lecture, write and work in physics. , ' . Shirley Streshinsky, co-author of "An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women in Robert Oppenheimer's Life," revealed that Kitty "didn't like the duties of a wife." -1945. - . J. Robert Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904 to an affluent, Jewish New York family, and he grew up in a world of moderate luxury on the Upper West Side. J. Robert has 2 children; Peter Oppenheimer and Katherine Oppenheimer. . [6], Oppenheimer said he and his wife had joined at a time when they sought answers to the high unemployment experienced in the United States during the later part of the Great Depression. [6]:298[16], Frank Oppenheimer died in 1985, leaving his second wife Mildred Danielson, son Michael, and daughter Judith.[2]. Oppenheimer went on to become chairman of the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission, which, in October 1949, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb. Price $1-60. He was eventually awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop new pedagogical methods, which resulted in a "Library of Experiments"nearly one hundred models of classical laboratory experiments which could be used in aiding the teaching of physics to elementary and high school children. As for Toni's relationship with Robert, the Atomic Heritage Foundationreports that it was more complex. After the war Oppenheimer became an advisor of the Atomic Energy Commission, lobbying for international arms control. As director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, Oppenheimer proved to be an extraordinary choice. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. " ", , , . [2] In 1935, he worked on the development of nuclear particle counters at the Institute di Arcetri in Florence, Italy. He was eventually called to a security hearing to be questioned about his possible involvement with the Soviets. Oppenheimer's parents (an artist and a successful businessman) fostered his passions, made him join clubs, taught him skills like public speaking and negotiation, and introduced him to high-powered people and insisted that he not be intimidated. In 1963 President Lyndon B. Johnson presented Oppenheimer with the Enrico Fermi Award of the Atomic Energy Commission. This was a 3-dimensional tightly convoluted passage that was completely dark inside, and which visitors had to explore relying on the sense of touch, encountering many tactile experiences along the way. Today, he is often called the "father of the atomic bomb.". , , 1926 , . National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) was an American theoretical physicist. [16], Four years later, in 1969, the Exploratorium opened its doors for the first timean interactive museum of art, science, and human perception based on the philosophy that science should be fun and accessible for people of all ages, set within the north wing of the stately Palace of Fine Arts of San Francisco. This rehabilitation allowed him to gain a position at the University of Colorado teaching physics. J. Robert Oppenheimer worked as American theoretical "Doctor Atomic", "Father of the Atomic Bomb". All Rights Reserved. [2], , . Last edited on 27 November 2022, at 04:40, University of California Radiation Laboratory, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). , , , . -50, , . The project was initially allotted $6,000 by the U.S. government, but by the time the work culminated in 1945, the budget had grown to $2 billion. During the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer was director of the Los Alamos Laboratory and responsible for the research and design of an atomic bomb. His parents, Julius S. Oppenheimer, a wealthy German textile merchant, and Ella Friedman, an artist, were of Jewish descent but did not observe the religious traditions. THE INSPIRATION FOR THE UPCOMING MAJOR MOTION PICTURE OPPENHEIMER In this . J. Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Los Alamos Laboratory where the atomic bomb was designed, and Manhattan Project director Leslie Groves at ground zero of the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, known as the Trinity Test. Thusly, in 1953, he was suspended from secret nuclear research, stripped of his security clearance by the Atomic Energy Commission. , , . , , . , , . [22], Frank Oppenheimer had a lifelong belief in the importance of art in an equal and closely connected relationship to science. Max Born invited Oppenheimer to University of Gttingen, where he met other prominent physicists, such as Niels Bohr and P.A.M. Dirac, and where, in 1927, he received his doctorate. Simon Oppenheimer 04 Jul 1854 Paris, . Interviewed by director Jon Else, Frank Oppenheimer appears throughout The Day After Trinity (1980), an Academy Award-nominated documentary about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the building of the atomic bomb. It was at this time that Oppenheimer started to figure out a method to separate uranium-235 from natural uranium and determine the critical mass of uranium required to build an atomic bomb. J. Robert Oppenheimer was the son of Julius Oppenheimer, who had immigrated as a young man from Germany. ' ( ), . Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. For 85 years until 2012, the Oppenheimer family occupied a controlling spot in the world's. ", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert_Oppenheimer, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2216, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Oppenheimer.html, http://www.nndb.com/people/808/000047667/, 1 2 2.1 2.2 ' 2.3 2.4 3 3.1 3.2 4 5 -50 -60 6 7 8 -22 1904, ' , 1888, , , . While Ella was from the United States, Julius emigrated to New York. Throughout the previous year he had been doing research on fast neutrons, calculating how much material might be needed for a bomb and how efficient it might be. Oppenheimer became politically active in the 1930s and agreed with Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard that the Nazis could develop a nuclear weapon. During those years Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, was living in Princeton, New Jersey, and dealing with the security hearing. Julius was born in Hanau, then part of the Hesse-Nassau province of the Kingdom of Prussia, and came to the United States as a teenager in 1888 with few resources, no money . . Oppenheimer then began to seek a process for the separation of uranium-235 from natural uranium and to determine the critical mass of uranium required to make such a bomb. [22][21] The exhibits were arranged and structured to allow for free access to any part of the museum. Peter(via another post at the Atomic Heritage Foundation) reportedly had a better relationship with his father. [10], Frank Oppenheimer received his PhD in 1939 and completed two postdoctoral years at Stanford. He died of throat cancer in 1967. He continued lecturing around the world, and was awarded the Enrico Fermi Award in 1963. Husband of Katherine Oppenheimer The idea of having people explore the museum in a way that appeals to everyone was an essential element. Frank Friedman Oppenheimer was born in 1912 in New York City to Julius Oppenheimer and Ella Friedman. [6]:294 Oppenheimer still remained active, appearing at the Exploratorium nearly daily until the last few weeks of his life. Accusations of disloyalty led to a government hearing that resulted in the loss of his security clearance and of his position as adviser to the highest echelons of the U.S. government. He used that position to lobby for international control of nuclear power to avert nuclear proliferation and a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. His security clearance was revoked in 1954 in a hearing during the Second Red Scare. [1] The ranch employs 400 people and keeps at least 8 000 cattle for beef exports. , , , . When young Robert was five years old, the Oppenheimer family went on a trip . Julius' father, Benjamin Pinhas Oppenheimer, was an untutored peasant and. Amidst warnings of another nuclear arms race, the . Born into a wealthy, secular New York Jewish family, a student of the Ethical Culture School in New York, later educated in theoretical physics at Harvard, Cambridge (UK) and Gttingen (Germany), appointed professor at UC-Berkeley and Caltech, J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) was on the forefront of the rise of theoretical physics in the United States to world-class status, contributing to . [6]:180 Another early work was the Tactile Dome (1971), by August Coppola (father of actor Nicolas Cage and brother of the film director Francis Coppola). [12] This organization promoted international peaceful control of nuclear power. Husband of Katherine (Puening) Oppenheimer married 1 Nov 1940 in United States. Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904, in New York City, to German Jewish immigrants. Robert also died at age 62. He studied at the Ethical Culture Society School, whose physics laboratory has since been named for . Contents 1 Quotes 2 Misattributed 3 Quotes about Oppenheimer 4 External links Quotes [ edit] There are no secrets about the world of nature. He graduated as valedictorian of his high school class in 1921, but fell ill with a near-fatal case of dysentery and was forced to postpone enrolling at Harvard. 1967. In 1974, Oppenheimer established an ongoing artist-in-residence program at the Exploratorium, regularly bringing in a succession of emerging and established artists working at the boundaries of art and science. , - . , . They had two children, Peter and Toni. In 1969, Oppenheimer founded the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and he served as its first director until his death in 1985. [2] The bulk of this collection covers his work in physics and education in the years leading up to his founding of the Exploratorium. In American Prometheus, Bird and Sherwin paint a rich portrait of Oppenheimer's early years. Kitty herself also had communist ties. Frank Friedman Oppenheimer (August 14, 1912 February 3, 1985) was an American particle physicist, cattle rancher, professor of physics at the University of Colorado, and the founder of the Exploratorium in San Francisco. As a result, his contract as adviser to the Atomic Energy Commission was cancelled. 24 1967 JEWISH CHRONICLE February 24 1967. [6]:99 Frank and Jackie eventually sold one of the Van Gogh paintings he had inherited from his father, and with the money bought 1,500 acres (610ha) of ranch land near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and spent nearly a decade as cattle ranchers. , , 1908, . Oppenheimer was married to a botanist, Kitty. 1927, , . In fact, she was married to her third husband, Richard Harrison, when she met her future fourth husband. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER TO FRANCIS FERGUSSON, November 14, 1926 . Browse 20 j. robert oppenheimer family stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. , -1919, . Frank Friedman Oppenheimer (August 14, 1912) was an American particle physicist, University of Colorado professor of physics, and founder of the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. , ' ' , 1906 . Robert passed away on month day 1967, at age 62 at death place. Best Known For: J. Robert Oppenheimer is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for leading the Manhattan Project, the program that developed the first nuclear weapon during World War II. That year marked the first test of the bomb, and with its success, two more bombs were deployed in the following month: one in Nagasaki, Japan and the other in Hiroshima. Julius was born on June 3 1865, in New York. In 1947 he became head of the Institute for Advanced Study and served from 1947 until 1952 as chairman of the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission, which in October 1949 opposed development of the hydrogen bomb. xxxxxxxx. 1926, , . With a project so big that involved the hard work of hundreds of gifted scientists, it may appear quite undue to give so much credit on the shoulders of In 1977, Oppenheimer was diagnosed with lymphoma, and underwent two years of successful chemotherapy. A security hearing declared him not guilty of treason but ruled that he should not have access to military secrets. J. Robert Oppenheimer was born into a Jewish family in New York City on April 22, 1904, to Ella (ne Friedman), a painter, and Julius Seligmann Oppenheimer, a wealthy textile importer. Oppenheimer continued to support international control of atomic energy in his later years. After short visits at science centres in Leiden and Zrich, he returned to the United States to teach physics at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology. It provides a form of "educational sightseeing" as well as the understanding of the underlying principles. Born on April 22, 1904, Oppenheimer was in a class of his own academically. At Cavendish, Oppenheimer realized that his talent was for theoretical, not experimental, physics, and he accepted an invitation from Max Born, director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the University of Gttingen, to study with him in Germany. His mother, on the other hand, was painter. , . He attended the New York School for Ethical Culture, where he gained a lifelong love for art, literature, philosophy, and the classics. 2,200 . , . Manhattan Project Scientific Director Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer was a visionary scientist and an inspirational administrator. In 1947 he took a position as assistant professor of physics at the University of Minnesota,[13] where he participated in the discovery of heavy cosmic ray nuclei. J. Philosophy, chemistry, English you name it, he aced it. After the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, various scientists including Albert Einstein warned the US government of the consequences if the Nazis were to build the first nuclear bomb. A court has stopped a miner from prospecting for gold on a ranch owned by the Oppenheimer family. , . As he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945, a piece of Hindu scripture ran through the mind of Robert Oppenheimer: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds . American nuclear physicist and father of the atom bomb Robert Oppenheimer , dressed in a three-piece tweed suit and hat, holds a zippered case and. John Rooney Both he and Kitty stated they were loyal to the United States. , 1943. Although his fathers death in 1937 left Oppenheimer a fortune that allowed him to subsidize anti-Fascist organizations, the tragic suffering inflicted by Joseph Stalin on Russian scientists led him to withdraw his associations with the Communist Partyin fact, he never joined the partyand at the same time reinforced in him a liberal democratic philosophy. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In an interviewposted at Voices of the Manhattan Project,Verna Hobson, secretary to Robert Oppenheimer, revealed that the family was tight-knit when the children were still young. Blake worked in the United States Engineer District Office. Thus, he began to research how to create his own nuclear weapon. 1966. He was presented with the award by President Lyndon B. Johnson in December of that year. J. Robert Oppenheimer. After graduating from Harvard University, Oppenheimer sailed to England and enrolled at the University of Cambridge, where he began his atomic research at the Cavendish Laboratory in 1925. , . In fact, she was married to her third husband, Richard Harrison, when she met her future fourth husband. Oppenheimer enrolled at Harvard in September 1922. The project was populated by many scientists who had escaped fascist regimes in Europe, and their mission was to explore a newly documented fission process involving uranium-235, with which they hoped to make a nuclear bomb before Adolf Hitler could develop it. , " . [6]:30[7], Frank began his schooling at the Ethical Culture School, where he attended until seventh grade. However, by 1949, Oppenheimer was against the creation of a hydrogen bomb (via Britannica). Robert Julius OPPENHEIMER was born on month day 1904, at birth place, New York, to Julius Seligmann OPPENHEIMER and Ella OPPENHEIMER (born FRIEDMANN). His mother, Ella Freedman, was a gifted painter. J. Robert Oppenheimer (April 22, 1904-February 18, 1967) was a physicist and the director of the Manhattan Project, the United States' effort during World War II to create an atomic bomb. , " ". 1925, , , , . Oppenheimer authored over 60 technical and nontechnical papers. Name: School: . (: Julius Robert Oppenheimer; 22 1904 - 18 1967) . PULITZER PRIZE WINNER The definitive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war, and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress. , "Dementia praecox" - . , . (quoting the Bhagavad-Gita after witnessing the first Nuclear explosion.) [19], In 1965, Oppenheimer was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to study the history of physics and to conduct bubble chamber research at University College, London, where he was exposed to European science museums for the first time. Levin Murryworked for theUnited States Engineer District Office. Ancestors. Father of Private and Katherine (Toni) Oppenheimer Robert Oppenheimer was born in New York City in 1904, the son of wealthy, non-observant Jewish parents. , , . While returning to particle physics research, Oppenheimer also took an increasing interest in developing improvements in science education. Oppenheimer was the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is among those who are credited with being the "father of the atomic bomb" for their role in the Manhattan Project, the World War II undertaking that developed the first nuclear weapons used in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Britannica writes that the Harvard-educated physicist, born in 1904, specialized in atomic research. The Secretary of Energy on Friday nullified a 1954 decision to revoke the security clearance of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a top government scientist who led the making of . ( " ") , , '. In Peter Goodchild's J. Robert Oppenheimer: Shatterer of Worlds, it is said that Robert's father, Julius, added the empty initial to give Robert's name additional distinction, but Goodchild's book has no footnotes, so the source of this assertion is unclear. The first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945, in the Trinity test in New Mexico; Oppenheimer later remarked that it brought to mind words from the Bhagavad Gita: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.". Today, if J. Robert Oppenheimer could walk into the modest cottage on Bathtub Row where he and his family lived during World War II, he would recognize it immediately. The remainder of his high school education was completed at Fieldston School in Riverdale; a school operated by the Ethical Culture Society.[8]. From there, he took five- or six-day horseback trips in the wilderness. In 1944, Tatlock died (via the Atomic Heritage Foundation). After the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939, the physicists Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard, and Eugene Wigner warned the U.S. government of the danger threatening all of humanity if the Nazis should be the first to make a nuclear bomb. He led the scientific end of the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico, beginning in 1942. His academic prowess was apparent very early on, and by the age of 10, Oppenheimer was studying minerals, physics, and chemistry. Both Frank and his wife were atheists. He died of throat cancer on February 18, 1967, in Princeton, New Jersey. Oppenheimer's papers and archives were transferred to the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. Julius Robert Oppenheimer was born to Julius Oppenheimer, a rich textile importer and Ella Friedman, a painter by profession. -6 1945, 08:14 . -14 1945, , . His responsibilities included the instrumentation for the Trinity test site, in New Mexico. Hobson explained that things seem to change once the kids went off to school. Oppenheimer was a target of McCarthyism and was blacklisted from finding any physics teaching position in the United States until 1957, when he was allowed to teach science at a high school in Colorado. 2005-2023 The Academic Family Tree - . Upon his return from Europe, he was offered a job planning a new branch of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, but he instead chose to work on setting up a completely independent new type of museum in San Francisco. The Oppenheimers, through their company Shangani Holistic, turned to the courts after a South African firm Pearline Mineral Exploration started conducting an aerial geophysical survey of the property. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER OBITUARY Robert "Bob" Oppenheimer Passed away peacefully, in his sleep, in his own bed at his daughter's home in Costa Mesa, CA on January 16th - just 17 days after his. [11] In late 1943 he arrived at the Los Alamos Laboratory, working directly under Kenneth T. Bainbridge. , , . 1953, " , . , . In 2014, 60 years after the proceedings that effectively ended Oppenheimers career, the Department of Energy released the full, declassified transcript of the hearing. [21] The first exhibits in the Exploratorium were constructed with the aid of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) and the Ames Research Center (NASA). The pair reportedly met at a party in 1939 and married in 1940. [6]:185 He personally recruited artist Bob Miller to create Sun Painting, the first major art installation at the Exploratorium. Geoffrey Bles. Nine years later, President John F. Kennedy awarded (and Lyndon B. Johnson presented) him with the Enrico Fermi Award as a gesture of political rehabilitation. The Exploratorium aimed to introduce and inspire, as well as teach. , . Kitty reportedly tried to join the party but instead joined the Young Communist League (YCL). Father of [private son (1940s - unknown . .[1]. Having a large control of the diamond trade will easily do that. Following the 1939 invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Oppenheimer was selected to administer a laboratory to carry out the Manhattan Project, a U.S. Army experiment aimed at harnessing atomic energy for military purposes. He loved reading classic texts in their original tongues, which he often learned lickety-split. He refused to name others he knew to be members. [14] In June 1949, as part of a larger investigation on the possible mishandling of "atomic secrets" during the war, he was called before the United States Congress House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). He also knew how to throw a great party! The theoretical work of how the atomic bomb would function had to be converted into a practical weapon that could be dropped from an airplane and explode above its target. A year later, he teamed with Max Born at Gttingen University, where he met a host of prominent physicists, including Niels Bohr. Family Member of Manhattan Project Veteran Peter Oppenheimer is a carpenter, and the son of J. Robert Oppenheimer. [6]:118, In his work, Oppenheimer followed the well-known old Latin principle Docendo discimus"the best way to learn is to teach". J. Robert Oppenheimer was born in New York on April 22, 1904. After being bedridden for months, his parents arranged for him to spend the summer of 1922 in New Mexico, a haven for health-seekers. Oppenheimer, his wife Kitty, daughter Toni, and son Peter lived in this home from 1943-1945. In addition, he trained a whole generation of U.S. physicists, who were greatly affected by his qualities of leadership and intellectual independence. Oppenheimer wanted people to be able to explore the museum and learn at their own pace, following a path that made sense to them and stimulated their curiosity. J. Robert Oppenheimer, in full Julius Robert Oppenheimer, (born April 22, 1904, New York, New York, U.S.died February 18, 1967, Princeton, New Jersey), American theoretical physicist and science administrator, noted as director of the Los Alamos Laboratory (1943-45) during development of the atomic bomb and as director of the Institute for Julius Robert Oppenheimer was born on April 22nd, 1904 in New York City. At the time, Spartacus Educational reported, Robert himself was in a relationship with a woman named Jean Tatlock. In 1957, the Red Scare had lessened to the point that Oppenheimer was allowed to teach science at a local high school. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. J. Robert Oppenheimer was born in April 1904 to an upper-class family in New York city. This caused a media sensationthat J. Robert Oppenheimer's brother was an admitted former member of the Communist Partyand led to Frank resigning from his post at the University of Minnesota. Tatlock, per another article from the Atomic Heritage Foundation, was a psychologist and a known communist party member. . After the 1939 invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Oppenheimer was selected to administer a laboratory to carry out the Manhattan Project, the program that developed the first nuclear weapon during World War II. [22] Oppenheimer strove to make learning a fun and enjoyable experience for all. Along with Enrico Fermi, he is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the Manhattan Project, the World War II project that developed the first nuclear weapons. J. Robert Oppenheimer is best remembered for his contributions to nuclear physics (via the Atomic Heritage Foundation).