On July 16, 1945, scientists detonated "Gadget," the world's first atomic
bomb. White Sands
missile Range Photo hide caption On July 16, 1945, scientists detonated "Gadget," the world's first atomic bomb. Coming down from the buzz of the
Oscars, we're taking a look at Christopher Nolan's award-winning film 'Oppenheimer.' It chronicles the life and legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the first director of Los Alamos National Laboratory and the so-called "Father of the Atomic Bomb." The movie does not shy away from science — and neither do we. We talked to current scientists at Los Alamos about the past and present science of
nuclear weapons like the atomic bomb. Read more about the Manhattan Project. Have other historical science or science in pop culture you want us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!