During World War II, as Allied forces used conventional military means to battle the Axis powers, advances in nuclear science led the U.S. military to organize a massive, government-run program to invent an atomic bomb. Called the Manhattan Project, this program operated facilities across the country, with some of the greatest scientific minds in the world working in a laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. There, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards, they wrestled with their consciences while racing to build the most powerful bomb the world had ever known. Their invention of the atomic bomb not only changed the course of the war; it also gave humanity a frightening new weapon capable of destroying the planet.
Milestones in Modern World History introduces students to seminal historical events that helped shape the modern world. Bolstered by biographical sketches, illustrations, photographs, excerpts from primary source documents, and first-person narratives, this curriculum-based series is ideal for students writing reports.