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The '''atomic bomb''' was the name used in the 1950s for the first of what are now called '''nuclear weapons.''' It was developed first by the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s in the United States as a way to end World War II, which it did when dropped on the Japanese cities of [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]].   

The '''atomic bomb''' was the name used in the 1950s for the first of what are now called '''nuclear weapons.''' It was originally developed out of fear that the Germans were also working on such a weapon (as in fact they were, although they did not get very far with their project.)

 

It was developed first by the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s in the United States as a way to end World War II, which it did when dropped on the Japanese cities of [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]].   

The atomic bomb detonates with a massive explosion due to the release of energy in atoms.  Specifically, neutrons in a rapid chain reaction split the nuclei of a heavy chemical element, such as plutonium or uranium, to cause the massive release of energy.

The atomic bomb detonates with a massive explosion due to the release of energy in atoms.  Specifically, neutrons in a rapid chain reaction split the nuclei of a heavy chemical element, such as plutonium or uranium, to cause the massive release of energy.

                             [[Image:Abomb.jpg]]

                             [[Image:Abomb.jpg]]