Did einstein invent the atomic bomb?

The physicist Albert Einstein did not directly participate in the invention of the atomic bomb. But as we shall see, he was instrumental in facilitating its development. In 1905, as part of his Special Theory of Relativity, he made the intriguing point that a large amount of energy could be released from a small amount of matter. read more

Einstein's greatest role in the invention of the atomic bomb was signing a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt urging that the bomb be built. The splitting of the uranium atom in Germany in December 1938 plus continued German aggression led some physicists to fear that Germany might be working on an atomic bomb. read more

A: Albert Einstein did not invent the atomic bomb. His work helped launch the Manhattan Project, a secret operation that ran from late 1941 to 1945. The U.S. government assembled a team of the world's foremost physicists to devise an atomic bomb before Germany or Japan could do the same. read more