J. Robert Oppenheimer

Robert Oppenheimer around 1944

J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) was an American physicist primarily known for his work on the Manhattan Project, where he developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II, earning him the nickname "the father of the atomic bomb."

After witnessing the devastating effect his bomb was capable of causing in tests in the desert, Oppenheimer quoted a Hindu text that said, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Following the bomb's detonation in Japan, that killed thousands of people, Oppenheimer stated that he felt he had "blood on my hands" Concerned about the potential future implications as the government continued to escalate nuclear power and other countries gained access to this weaponry, he resigned from his position as director of the Manhattan Project and proposed the establishment of an international body to oversee nuclear research. In 1953, he was falsely accused of collaborating with the Soviet Union, was denied access to military secrets, and had his contract as an advisor to the Atomic Energy Commission revoked.

He spent the rest of his life doing conferences in Europe and Japan.