J. Robert Oppenheimer (April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was
an American theoretical physicist who served as the director of
the Manhattan Project‘s Los Alamos Laboratory during World
War II. He is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for his
role in overseeing the development of the first nuclear weapons.
In late 1965, Oppenheimer was diagnosed with throat cancer,
likely caused by chain smoking cigarettes for much of his life.
After inconclusive surgery, he underwent unsuccessful radiation treatment and chemotherapy late in 1966. On February 18, 1967,
he died in his sleep at his home in Princeton, aged 62 years.
Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves Jr., military head of the Manhattan Project, with Oppenheimer in 1942.
The Trinity test was the first detonation of a nuclear device.
