Plutonium and poetry: Where Trinity and Oppenheimer's reading habits met Literary inspirations, correcting misinterpretation of his famous quote
The Lab’s first director, J. Robert Oppenheimer, was a man of sonnets and scientific synthesis. Oppenheimer’s work at Los Alamos was defined not only by physics and administrative skill, but also by a life philosophy inspired, in part, by literature. The Trinity test, which took place 76 years ago on July 16th in the New Mexico desert, epitomizes this. Known as one of the greatest scientific achievements ever, the successful detonation of the world’s first nuclear weapon marked the dawn of the Atomic Age. Created in just 27, albeit harrowing, months, Oppenheimer and his team at the Los Alamos Lab worked nonstop on this clandestine effort to help end World War II. As he had done throughout his life, Oppenheimer continued to foster his love of literature during the Manhattan Project. Two of his influences were John Donne and the Hindu scripture Bhagavad-Gita. Oppenheimer recalled both during the Trinity test.