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Explosive Facts About Oppenheimer, ‘Father Of Nuclear Bombs’

Published

2 years ago

July 22, 2023

Julius Robert Oppenheimer, a foremost scientist in the Manhattan Project, which eventually brought an end to the second World War, has been celebrated as the father of the “nuclear bombs.”

A brilliant scientist, Oppenheimer’s work remains a reference point as the first atomic bomb was detonate in New Mexico during the famous Trinity test of 1945.

Christopher Nolan, the director of Oppenheimer’s much-anticipated biopic, named him “the most important person who ever lived.”

In an interview with New York Times, Nolan noted that if the fears of a nuclear war come to pass, “Oppenheimer will be the man who destroyed the world. Who’s more important than that?”

Starring, Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer” hit the theatres on Friday, 21st of July. The Universal film is based on the Pulitzer-winning book, “American Prometheus”, written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

Here are some explosive and notable facts about Oppenheimer, a legendary scientist and the ‘father of atomic bombs.’

Oppenheimer was born on the 22nd of April, 1904, to German Jewish immigrant parents. His mother, Ella Friedman, was a painter, and his father, Julius S. Oppenheimer was a wealthy German textile merchant, who migrated to the United States in 1888.

He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University in 1925 with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. He obtained a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Göttingen, Germany in 1927. He also lectured at the University of California, Berkley, and became a full professor at the age of 32.

Oppenheimer is noted for his contribution to the theory of neutron stars, quantum fields, black holes, and the interactions of cosmic rays.

He is also known for his remarkable work with Born Oppenheimer approximation in molecular dynamics, the Oppenheimer–Phillips process in nuclear fusion, and the first prediction of quantum tunneling. His 1966 article, titled, “On Albert Einstein”, revealed his close friendship with Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of all time.

The project arose from fears of Germany building a nuclear bomb before the Western Allies could do the same. Three years after the German Nuclear Weapons Program was established, the United States Commenced the Manhattan Project and Oppenheimer was made head of the research and development team in 1942.

Oppenheimer was able to work with both scientists and the military to create the first nuclear bomb. He code-named the first atomic bomb test “Trinity”, which was conducted in the Jornada del Muerto desert in New Mexico.

American biologist Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, married Oppenheimer in November 1940, shortly after divorcing her third husband.

Their first son, Peter, was born in May 1941, and their second child, Katherine, was born in December 7, 1944. During his marriage, Oppenheimer was involved in an affair with Jean Tatlock, an American psychiatrist whom he dated before his marriage to Kitty.

The legendary scientist was a surprising pick for the Manhattan Project because of his German heritage as well as communist leanings. He had several communist affiliations including his wife, and mistress, Tatlock. He was therefore kept under close surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for most of his career.

Oppenheimer, shortly after the bombing of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, wrote a letter to the U.S. Secretary of War, Henry Stimson in which he expressed, in strong terms, his opposition to the action. He proposed to Stimson that further research on nuclear weapons should be banned. In 1949, he also strongly opposed the creation of hydrogens bombs which were more powerful than their atomic predecessors.

Due to his Communist affiliation, and suspected loyalty to the Soviet Union, the Oppenheimer security hearing was held in 1953. He was afterwards stripped of his security clearance which gave him access to top secret restricted data in the U.S. This decision was recently revoked in December 2022, by the United States Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, who stated that the judgement was the result of a “flawed process”.

Oppenheimer had a smoking habit and was diagnosed with throat cancer in late 1965. Despite undergoing an array of treatments including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy in 1966, he fell into a coma on February 15, 1967, and died three days later at the age of 62.

Christopher Nolan’s reputation for blockbusters such as “Interstellar”, makes “Oppenheimer” a highly anticipated film. Nolan is known for his aversion to Computer-Generated imagery and has assured viewers an unparalleled cinematic experience through his use of cutting-edge technology for analogue effects.

Asides Murphy, other Hollywood stars in the movie include Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, and Matt Damon.

The movie comes in the wake of Russian aggression in Ukraine, which has seen the resuscitation of nuclear threats.
VANGUARD

News

Shock As Adeleke Employs Roadside puff-puff Hawker As Govt House Chef

Published

56 minutes ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday shocked a female puff-puff seller during a rally in Osogbo by buying all her snacks with ₦50,000 and offering her employment as a chef at the Government House.

This happened when Osun public servants trooped out in their thousands in what they called an appreciation solidarity rally in support of the governor for his support and care since he took over state governance.

It was observed that the governor, who sat in the bus, had sighted the woman who was among the crowd cheering him.

He immediately beckoned to the woman carrying a plastic container filled with puff-puff on her head and asked how much it would cost to buy all the snacks.

The female hawker, who was visibly surprised and star-struck at the level of her proximity to the governor, found it difficult to even tell the governor how much she sold the snacks.

Surprisingly, Adeleke handed her a bundle of ₦50,000 to the cheers of the crowd.

The lucky woman knelt down in appreciation of the governor’s generosity.

Excited onlookers quickly rushed to share the snacks in the plastic already purchased by the governor.

The governor invited the vendor inside the vehicle where one of his officials questioned her academic background, and she revealed that she holds a Nigerian Certificate in Education.

Adeleke further asked about the dishes she could prepare and instructed his aides to take her contact details for employment as a chef in the Government House.

Confirming the development, the Commissioner II at the Osun State Civil Service Commission, Olaniyan Taofeek, shared the video on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “The moment Gov. Adeleke turned the life of a puff-puff seller into a Government House chef.”

A Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Media, Oni Gbenga Lawrence, also corroborated the incident in a post on X, stating: “Moment Governor Ademola Adeleke turned the life of a puff-puff seller to Government Chef… not only ₦50k but he invited her into his car and employed her as chef in the Government House.”

The Guardian correspondent, who was at the scene of the welcome rally, made efforts to interview the lucky vendor, but they did not yield as she was not allowed to alight from the bus throughout the event.
(The Guardian)

News

Katsina Govt Revokes Licenses Of All Private, Community Schools

Published

2 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

The Katsina State Government has withdrawn the operating licenses of all private and community schools in the state, with effect from August 13, 2025.

The announcement came through a circular issued by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and signed by Commissioner Hajiya Zainab Musa-Musawa.

The ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Malam Sani Danjuma, released the document in Katsina on Saturday.

According to the circular, the move is part of the government’s effort to strengthen quality assurance and standardization within the education sector.

“The withdrawal of licenses is aimed at ensuring that schools operate in line with approved standards and provide quality education to students,” Danjuma said.

The circular also outlined a review of fees for license application, registration, and annual renewal.

“Owners of affected schools are required to obtain fresh licenses by submitting proof of payment to the ministry on or before September 30, 2025.”

The statement also added that school operators have been warned not to increase tuition or other charges without government approval.

The ministry further promised to issue additional guidelines soon, including categorization of schools and the revised fee structure.

News

JUST IN: Oldest Missionary To Nigeria, Ruth Elton, Is Dead

Published

3 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

British-born Nigerian missionary, Ruth Elton, reputed to be the oldest missionary has passed on at the age of 91.

Ruth Elton, born 7 September 1933, was a British-born Nigerian missionary whose lifelong dedication to faith, healing, and revival left an indelible mark on communities across western and central Nigeria.

It was learnt that Elton died on Saturday at Sharon compound, Alafia Bamin Quarters in Ilesa, Osun State.

She was the only daughter of Pa Elton and her remains have been deposited at the mortuary.

Ruth Elton, daughter of Sydney Granville Elton (Pa Elton), who is referred to as one of the founding fathers of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, had approached a Kaduna court and nationalised as a Nigerian.

At old age and despite the happenings in Nigeria, she still held in high esteem her father’s prophecies that although Nigeria could be known globally for corruption, it would only for a while as new dawn would beckon when the country would be known worldwide for righteousness and prosperity.

Elton moved to Nigeria in 1937 with her parents and served as a Christian missionary across Egbe, Okene, Koton Karfe, and other parts of Kogi, Ondo, Oyo, and Osun States.

A naturalised Nigerian, having renounced her British citizenship in the 1970s, she embraced the country completely and became fluent in Ebira and Yoruba.

Elton, who remained single, believed that she had made a true mark in the country and apart from her missionary work, she saw her efforts in taming infant mortality, especially in Okene, Kogi State as a generational impact.

Relating her experience on infant mortality in the country, Elton recently noted that many newborn babies had passed on due to lack of proper care and hygiene, adding that the practice of force-feeding babies contributed to the challenges, especially in the face of poor awareness.