Manhattan Project: A Race Against Time and Uncertainty

The Manhattan Project, the WWII US program to build an atomic bomb, is recounted in detail. The article explores the immense challenges faced: the initial uncertainty surrounding nuclear fission and chain reactions; the monumental technological hurdles in uranium enrichment and plutonium production; and the eventual success in creating the bomb. The project's parallel pursuit of multiple approaches, massive funding, and relentless pace highlight the desperation and unprecedented scale of the wartime effort.