1. Manhattan Project
What Is It?
Nuclear fission bomb project in New Mexico 1942-
1945
How does it relate to World War II?
It provided the two nuclear bombs dropped on
Japan in 1945.
Why is it important?
It was the first successful attempt at creating
nuclear weapons.

2. We knew the world would
not be the same.
A few people laughed, a few
people cried, most people were
silent.
I remembered the line from the
Hindu scripture … Vishnu …
takes on his multi-armed form
and says,
"Now I am become Death,
the destroyer of worlds."
I suppose we all thought that,
one way or another. J. Robert Oppenheimer

3. Hiroshima
What Is It?
A city in Japan with over 400,000 people. That’s
the size of Sacramento today.
How does it relate to World War II?
In 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on
Hiroshima, killing one third of the population.
Why is it important?
It was the first time an atomic bomb had
been used in warfare.

4. Nagasaki
What Is It?
A city in Japan.
How does it relate to World War II?
The US dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, three
days after the bombing of Hiroshima.
Why is it important?
It was the last time an atomic bomb has
been used in warfare.

6. The bombing
What do you
think happened?
How did this
change the
world?

7. Hiroshima
What do you
think happened?
How did this
change the
world?

8. Hiroshima
What do you
think happened?
How did this
change the
world?

9. Hiroshima

10. Many people were
vaporized, leaving only a
shadow where they were.
Hiroshima There were no bodies near
ground zero.

11. Hiroshima The ones who died were
the lucky ones.
The survivors suffered
horribly.

12. Many people were
vaporized, leaving only a
shadow where they were.
There were no bodies near
ground zero.

13. Survivors suffer:
•Hair loss
•Nerve damage
•Intestinal damage
•Nausea
•Headache
•Diarrhea
•Vulnerable to disease
•Cancer
•Cataracts
•Leukemia
•Birth defects
•Premature aging
•Emotional damage

14. The consequences:
•Buildings burn.
•People die or get sick.
•Japan surrenders.
•The rest of the world wants
the same powerful weapon.
•The rest of the world wants
the same clean energy.

15. The most important consequence.
• World War II ended

16. How was the decision made?
• People had to decide whether the suffering
caused by the bomb would be worth the value
of what it might achieve.

17. Cost Benefit Analysis
Dropping the atomic bomb on Japan
Costs Benefits

18. Cost Benefit Analysis
of dropping the atomic bomb on Japan
Costs
• $2 billion dollars
• Up to 200,000 people killed
• Civilians killed
• Radiation illness, cancer, burns, etc.
• Domestic and International criticism

19. Cost Benefit Analysis
of dropping the atomic bomb on Japan
Benefits
• Saved 1 million American lives
• Saved the cost of a land invasion of Japan
• Ended WWII immediately
• Convinced the Japanese to surrender
• Showed the world the strength of the US
• Demonstrated what the $2 billion was spent on

20. Cost Benefit Analysis
of dropping the atomic bomb on Japan
Risks
• Maybe the bomb doesn’t work
• Maybe spies give the bomb to an enemy
• Maybe scientists working on the bomb die while
still developing it
• Maybe the bomb blows up at the wrong place or
time
• Maybe the bomb starts a nuclear chain reaction
that destroys the entire planet

21. Other examples of human cost
• Imperialism
• Munich Conference
• Capitalism
• Stalin’s Five Year Plans