Final answer:
FDR facilitated the creation of a top-secret program known as the Manhattan Project during the Second World War. The project aimed at designing and creating the first atomic bomb and involved some of the brightest scientific minds of the time working at remote locations. It marked the beginning of the atomic age.
Step-by-step explanation:
FDR created a top-secret program called the Manhattan Project (C). Initiated during World War II, this project represented the United States' commitment to building a nuclear bomb. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, researchers started working at various remote locations, such as Los Alamos in New Mexico.
The scientific head of the Manhattan Project was J. Robert Oppenheimer, a physicist chosen for his extraordinary talent and ambition. His team took a significant step in December 1942 with the creation of the first self-sustained nuclear reactor, signaling the beginning of nuclear reactors' era.
Contributions to the project came from various scientists, including Enrico Fermi, who played an instrumental role in achieving the first atomic pile, and Glenn Seaborg, who was awarded a Nobel prize for his discoveries in physics, like plutonium. The project dramatically showcased the mobilization of civilian and scientific resources in achieving a breakthrough in nuclear technology.
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