The Atomic Bomb

“What is more remarkable is that all three powers already possess, in the atomic bomb, a weapon far more powerful than any that their present researches are likely to discover.” (Page 270)

The atomic bomb is considered to be the most powerful weapon known to man. In the midst of World War II, the United States Government undertook a very serious enterprise, “The Manhattan Project,” in which they became committed to perfecting the production of an atomic bomb. After countless tests, in 1945, two forms of the the fated nuclear weapon were used in warfare, one in Hiroshima and the other in Nagasaki. Although their detonations brought the close of the war, they introduced the term “weapons of mass destruction” and thus brought fear into the lives of many. Orwell includes this reference because of its cultural impact. It is interesting to point out that Orwell published this novel in 1949 making it obvious that the atomic bomb would be considered the most dangerous weapon seeing as how it had only been around for less than a decade. However, Orwell had enough forethought to realize that this technology was not going to be surpassed in the near future which explains why “present researchers [were not] likely to discover a weapon more powerful.”

Bellis, Mary. "History of the Atomic Bomb and The Manhattan Project." Inventors. Web. 11 May 2010. http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/atomic_bomb.htm.

Atomic Bomb Hiroshima. Digital image. Web. 11 May 2010. http://whyfiles.org/020radiation/images/mushroom.jpg.