The Thin Man: America's First Shot at a Plutonium Bomb

Fueled by the urgency of World War II, the Manhattan Project embarked on a mission to build the world's first atomic bomb. While an initial design, codenamed "Thin Man," ultimately proved impractical, it provided valuable insights that led to the success of the first atomic bomb.

In 1942, before the Manhattan Project officially started, physicists were already brainstorming ways to build the bomb, and discussed several designs. A straightforward “gun-type” design was favored, which involved shooting a plutonium “bullet" at a larger plutonium "target." Forcing them together would create a critical mass and trigger a nuclear explosion.

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