321 Events Leading to the Invention of the WWII Atomic Bombs
History | Registration opens 8/4/26 9:00 AM EDT
This four-part class will present a timeline of the important scientific discoveries, engineering breakthroughs, and incredible design and construction accomplishments that led to the invention and deployment of the prototype “gadget” device tested at the Trinty Site in July 1945; and the two atomic bombs, the “Little Boy” and the “Fat Man” the United States Army Air Force dropped on Japan in August 1945. These weapons hastened the end of the World War II and saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of U.S. service men and Japanese civilians. The presentation will include an overview of how the uranium-235 and plutonium-239 critical masses used in the bombs were made, and the basic design features of each of the weapons.
Jake Alexander
04 ORICL Tour of the Oak Ridge History Museum Fee: $10
Since 2024, Jake Alexander has served as a tour guide at the Oak Ridge History Museum. This involvement has allowed him to learn about many details of the World War II Manhattan Project activities. He is retired from 38 years of technical and management support to the U.S. Departments of Energy, Defense, Transportation, and Health and Human Services; and numerous state agencies and commercial entities. During his active years he was certified as a professional engineer (PE), a hazardous materials manager (CHMM), and an NQA-1/ISO 9001 quality assurance auditor. A graduate of the University of Tennessee engineering school, he earned master’s degrees in environmental engineering and public administration at New York University and completed extensive study of radiation health physics at the University of Tennessee’s liberal arts graduate school.