Italian-born physicist, garnered the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1938 for his pioneering work on nuclear fission. After earning his doctorate from the University of Pisa, Fermi joined the University of Rome as a professor of theoretical physics in 1926, nurturing a dynamic community of young physicists. Under the guise of collecting his Nobel Prize, Fermi fled a fascist Italy with his family, seeking sanctuary in the United States.

In New York City, Fermi integrated into the burgeoning community of nuclear physicists, eventually joining the Manhattan Project. At the University of Chicago, he orchestrated the first self-sustained nuclear chain reaction, laying the groundwork for the atomic bomb's creation. Fermi became an American citizen in 1944, and in 1946, he was appointed professor of Nuclear Studies at the University of Chicago.

Richard Feynman

Celebrated for his brilliance, Richard Feynman (1918–1988) was an American theoretical physicist awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1965 for his groundbreaking contributions to quantum electrodynamics. Feynman earned his doctorate from Princeton University in 1942, and soon after, he embarked on a pivotal role in the Manhattan Project at Princeton and later at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Among the youngest to hold a leadership role there, Feynman was a prodigy in his field.

From 1945 to 1950, Feynman served as an associate professor at Cornell University, later dedicating his career to the California Institute of Technology as a professor of theoretical physics until his retirement. His innovative ideas and charismatic personality established him as one of the twentieth century's most luminous scientific figures.

Otto Frisch

Otto Frisch (1904–1979), an Austrian-born physicist, made significant contributions to the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Educated at the University of Vienna, where he earned his doctorate in 1926, Frisch collaborated with his aunt, physicist Lise Meitner, to reveal and name the phenomenon of uranium fission in 1939. Following the war, Frisch became the director of the nuclear physics department at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University, England.

Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves

In September 1942, Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves (1896–1970) was appointed to oversee the Manhattan Engineer District, steering all army operations related to the Manhattan Project. Groves orchestrated contracts with independent construction firms to create the infrastructure needed at the project's various research and production sites, including a gaseous diffusion separation plant and a plutonium production facility.

Otto Hahn

Otto Hahn (1879–1968) emerged as a towering figure in the world of chemistry, a German pioneer who clinched the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944 for unveiling the groundbreaking phenomenon of nuclear fission alongside Fritz Strassmann. His academic journey began with a doctorate from the University of Marburg in 1901, setting the stage for his illustrious career. At the University of Berlin, Hahn delved into the enigmatic realms of radioactivity, and by 1911, he was an integral part of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry. During the throes of World War I, Hahn played a pivotal role in the development of chemical warfare. Despite his contributions to the atomic bomb's origins, he staunchly opposed the continued proliferation of nuclear arms throughout his remaining years.

Lise Meitner

Lise Meitner (1878–1968), a brilliant Jewish physicist born in Austria, was instrumental in uncovering the mysteries of uranium fission through her collaborative efforts with Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassmann, and her nephew Otto Frisch. Meitner's scholarly pursuit began with her doctorate from the University of Vienna in 1906. A year later, she embarked on a fruitful research endeavor alongside Hahn in Berlin, focusing on radioactivity. However, with the rise of Nazi oppression in 1938, she sought refuge in Sweden, fleeing the ominous shadows of Germany.

Robert Oppenheimer

Robert J. Oppenheimer (1904–1967), a luminary of American theoretical physics, rose to prominence as the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, steering the Manhattan Project toward crafting the inaugural atomic bomb. After earning a degree from Harvard, Oppenheimer ventured to the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge to study under the legendary Lord Rutherford. By 1927, he had secured his doctoral degree from Göttingen University, paving the way for his tenure at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology. His leadership in the Manhattan Project culminated in the first nuclear detonation in 1945 at Alamogordo, New Mexico. Oppenheimer later served as the head of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, from 1947 to 1952 chaired the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission. In a climate fraught with paranoia during the Red Scare, he faced trial for alleged communist sympathies and leaking military secrets but was exonerated. Despite losing his commission position, his scientific stature remained undiminished, receiving the Enrico Fermi Award from President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963, restoring his esteemed reputation.

Sir Rudolf Peierls

Rudolf Peierls (1907–1995), a German-born physicist, was a visionary whose theoretical insights were crucial to the atomic bomb's conception. Collaborating at the University of Birmingham with Otto Frisch, Peierls co-authored a seminal memo on the feasibility of nuclear weaponry. Embracing British citizenship in 1940, he joined a cohort of British scientists at Los Alamos in 1943. Post-war, Peierls resumed his academic pursuits at Birmingham, later transitioning to the University of Oxford in 1963. His distinguished career was crowned by a knighthood in 1968.

Max Planck

Max Planck (1858–1947), a venerated German physicist, reshaped the fabric of theoretical physics with his pioneering quantum theory, earning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. Planck's academic path began with a doctoral degree from the University of Munich in 1879. By 1892, he had secured a professorship at the University of Berlin, a role he maintained throughout his life. Though initially overlooked, Planck's quantum theory heralded a new era in science, with Einstein championing its significance. A stalwart opponent of Nazi ideology, Planck remained in Germany during World War II, steadfast in his scientific endeavors.

President Franklin Roosevelt

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945) steered the United States through turbulent seas during his third presidential term as World War II loomed. In 1939, a pivotal letter from Einstein warned him of atomic bomb potential, yet its urgency only became apparent when America was thrust into war in 1941. Roosevelt's tenure ended abruptly with his passing on April 12, 1945, just before the atomic bomb's historic deployment signaled the war's conclusion.

Sir Ernest Rutherford

Ernest Rutherford (1871–1937), hailing from New Zealand, carved an indelible mark in physics as a British scientist and Nobel laureate in Chemistry in 1908, laying the groundwork for nuclear physics. His journey led him to Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory in 1895, studying under J.J. Thomson before assuming a professorship at McGill University in 1898. Returning to England in 1907, he joined the University of Manchester, where his eponymous atomic model emerged. Knighted in 1914 for his monumental contributions, Rutherford assumed leadership of the Cavendish Laboratory in 1919.

Major Charles Sweeney

Major Charles W. Sweeney etched his name into history as the pilot of the B-29 bomber, the "Great Artiste," which unleashed the atomic devastation over Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

Leo Szilard

Leo Szilard (1898–1964), a Hungarian physicist, played a pivotal role in birthing the Manhattan Project. After his doctorate from the University of Berlin in 1922, Szilard contributed to the Institute of Theoretical Physics until the political tide turned with Hitler's rise in 1933, prompting him to leave Germany. His journey took him to England and then to Columbia University in the U.S. From 1942 to 1945, Szilard worked alongside Fermi’s team in Chicago, contributing significantly to the war effort. Post-war, he championed the peaceful use of atomic energy, advocating for arms race curtailment as a professor of biophysics at the University of Chicago.

Edward Teller (1908-), a pioneering nuclear physicist hailing from Hungary with Jewish roots, played a pivotal role in the groundbreaking Manhattan Project. Prior to his involvement at Los Alamos, New Mexico, Teller collaborated with Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago. Although the development of a hydrogen bomb was deemed a secondary concern during the throes of World War II, Teller's fascination with it never waned. After the war, he became an ardent advocate for the United States' pursuit of this formidable weapon, believed to outstrip the power of the atomic bomb. His collaboration with Stanislaw Ulam in 1951 culminated in a significant breakthrough—the Teller-Ulam configuration. This pivotal achievement earned him the moniker "father of the H-bomb."

Sir J. J. Thomson

J. J. Thomson (1856–1940), an illustrious English physicist, made the groundbreaking discovery of the electron in 1897. His scientific journey began at the esteemed Cavendish Laboratory of Cambridge University in 1880, and by 1884, he ascended to the position of chair of the physics department. Thomson's remarkable contributions to physics were recognized with the Nobel Prize in 1906 and a knighthood in 1908. His legacy as a mentor at Cavendish was profound, guiding luminaries such as Ernest Rutherford, who themselves became Nobel laureates.

Colonel Paul Tibbets Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., etched his name into history as the pilot of the B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, which delivered the atomic bomb to Hiroshima, Japan, on the fateful day of August 6, 1945.

President Harry Truman

Harry S. Truman (1884–1972), the thirty-third president of the United States, assumed the mantle of leadership on April 12, 1945, upon the passing of President Roosevelt. Soon after taking office, Truman was introduced to the enigmatic developments of the Manhattan Project, a venture largely unknown to him until then. At the Potsdam Conference, where peace terms with a vanquished Germany were being negotiated, he received the momentous news of a successful atomic bomb test conducted on July 16. From Potsdam, a stark warning was dispatched to Japan, threatening the use of this devastating new weapon unless unconditional surrender was forthcoming. Japan's refusal led Truman to authorize the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Nagasaki three days later.

H. G. Wells

H. G. Wells (1866–1946), an English literary titan, remains celebrated for his timeless science fiction novels, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898). His prescient work, The World Set Free (1914), uncannily foretold the advent of atomic warfare.

Eugene Wigner

Eugene Wigner (1902–1995), a physicist born in Hungary, was honored with the 1963 Nobel Prize for physics, recognizing his seminal contributions to nuclear physics. Wigner obtained his doctoral degree in 1925 from the Institute of Technology in Berlin. By 1938, he had embarked on a distinguished academic career as a professor of mathematical physics at Princeton University, a post he held until his retirement in 1971. In 1939, along with Leo Szilard, Wigner played a crucial role in persuading Albert Einstein to pen a letter to President Roosevelt, a move that highlighted the feasibility of creating an atomic bomb. Wigner later collaborated with Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory, a cornerstone of the Manhattan Project.