atomic bomb
"The Trinity test, on July 16, 1945, was a spectacular success. A 6 kilogram sphere of plutonium, compresses to supercriticality by explosive lenses, exploded over the New Mexico desert with a force equal to approximately 20,000 tons of TNT"(U.S. National Archives). This statement from the TS Manhattan Project Files was describing a day in history which brought about hope for the ending of a war, as well as destructive fate for thousands of people. Thus the topic of discussion is the legendary atomic bomb. A bomb that is seen as a double-edged sword, one that saved and destroyed numerous lives. The timeless argument of whether or not the dropping of the atomic bomb was the right way to bring an end to the Pacific fighting of World War II started before the bombs were dropped and continues to be fought years after the fact. The creation of the atomic bomb in the 1940's changed warfare forever. Countries held in their possession a device which could single-handily wipe ou!An extensive amount of research and scientific study, starting back with Albert Einstein, went into the discovery of being able to create an atomic bomb. Einstein found research which allowed him to predict that mass could be converted
"When the atom bombs were dropped and the news began to circulate that---- we would not be obliged in a few months to rush up the beaches near Tokyo assault-firing while being machine-gunned, mortared and shelled----- we broke down and cried with relief and joy. We were going to live. We were going to grow to adulthood after all" was a quote from a former U.S. Army infantryman in Europe named Paul Fussell which was used in the book Thank God for the Atom Bomb(The Last Act). One bomb had two entirely different effects on two opposing worlds, that of the Allies and Japan. The dropping of the atomic bomb ironically introduced the possibility of a weapon which had the ability to destroy civilization while at the same time ending the Second World War. "The atomic bomb cannot be uninvented" and it led to the entrance of 70,000 nuclear weapons into the world's arsenals(The Last Act). In conclusion to the discussion of the atomic bomb, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson stated, ! ushed "through the undercast"(Alvarez). Alvarez roughly estimated that after about eight minutes the top of the cloud reached forty thousand feet and this was from his altitude of twenty-four thousand feet. The pilot of Alvarez's plane felt a reaction on the rudder through the rudder pedals as a result of the shock wave and some of the other passengers reported a small shock as well, however, Alvarez experienced no sort of shock at this particular time. Luis Alvarez was a firsthand witness of the testing of the atomic bomb. "I was kneeling between the pilot and co-pilot in B-29 No. 384 and observed the explosion through the pilot's window on the left side of the plane," explained Alvarez(Eye-Witness Account). The plane containing Alvarez was twenty to twenty-five miles above the site and they were viewing through a cloud cover of approximately 7/10. The initial seconds of the ball of fire produced by the bomb was hidden from Alvarez's view due to clouds. The first thing he experienced was an intense light, which covered his whole field of vision. After a half of a second an intense orange red glow was seen. Strange, distorted black lined divided the surface of the fire ball into numerous small patches of reddish orange. After the fire ball vanished for the last time the intensity of the light dropped significantly. After the passing of about twenty seconds the cloud began to form into the shape of a parachute as it p! http://mothra.rerf.or.jp/ENG/ A-bomb/history/Damages.html. Many were opposed to the use of the atomic bomb, especially without a proper warning to the enemy. On June 27, 1945, Ralph A. Bard stated his opinion in a Memorandum on the Use of S-1 Bomb by stating, "Ever since I have been in touch with this program I have had a feeling that before the bomb is actually used against Japan that Japan should have some preliminary warning Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II." Stafford L. Warren - Chief of Medical Section Manhattan District. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki put an end to the Japanese war. It stopped the fire raids, and the strangling blockade; it ended the ghastly specter of the clash of great land armies."(The Last Act).
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2233
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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