LIFE.com

Terrible Beauty: A-Bomb Tests

J. Robert Oppenheimer, 'Father of the Atom Bomb'

J. Robert Oppenheimer, 'Father of the Atom Bomb'

Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project, which invented the atomic bomb, was a brilliant physicist and theoretician who is often viewed today as either 1) an irresponsible scientist of unchecked hubris who set humanity on the path to eventual nuclear annihilation, or 2) a sensitive seeker after truth whose ideas and insights were perverted by right-wing militarists for their own nefarious ends. Both views are, of course, absurd oversimplifications of the man and his legacy.

In this photo: J. Robert Oppenheimer

Photo: Alfred Eisenstaedt/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

Jan 01, 1954
Advertisement

Comments

LIFE's Great Adventures
Lion Tamers at Work: Vintage Pics

Lion Tamers at Work: Vintage Pics

See the dangerous big-cat acts that used to pack circus tents.
See More