The secret plan to build the first atomic bomb — and how it changed the world.
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New words for this story, in four small activities. Do the thinking first, then click Reveal to check.
Read each sentence. What does the bold word mean? Say your idea, then reveal.
Match each word (1–4) to its meaning (A–D). Say it out loud — "I think 1 is C" — then check.
1 = B (a scientist) · 2 = D (a weapon) · 3 = A (energy) · 4 = C (a bomb)
Is the bold word the same as the other word, or the opposite? Reveal to check.
Three words go together. One is different. Which one — and why? Reveal to check.
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
The story starts with a letter, not a bomb. In the 1930s, scientists in Europe learned something new. They found out that you could split the atom — break it into parts. When you did this, it made a lot of energy. Some scientists began to think: maybe you could use this energy to make a very strong bomb.
Many of these scientists had run away from Germany and Italy. They were afraid of one thing: what if Germany built this bomb first? In 1939, the famous scientist Albert Einstein signed a letter to the American president, Franklin Roosevelt. The letter said that a new and very powerful bomb might be possible.
The president listened. After the United States joined the war in 1941, the government started a big secret plan. People called it the Manhattan Project. An army general, Leslie Groves, led the plan. He chose a clever scientist, Robert Oppenheimer, to lead the science. Their job was very hard: build the bomb before the enemy, and tell almost no one.
1. What did the scientists in Europe learn to do?
2. Why were the scientists afraid?
1. They learned that you could split the atom, and that this made a lot of energy — maybe enough to build a very strong bomb.
2. They were afraid that Germany would build the bomb first. Many of them had run away from Germany and Italy.
The plan was huge. The government built new secret towns in empty places. The most famous was Los Alamos, in the desert in New Mexico. Many scientists and their families lived there behind fences. In other secret towns, big factories made the special material for the bomb. More than one hundred thousand people worked on the project. But it was so secret that most of them did not know what they were making.
The science was very difficult. To make the bomb work, the scientists needed to control the energy very carefully. They tried different ideas. They tested them and changed them. Some scientists started to feel worried. They asked a quiet question: is it right to give the world such a terrible weapon?
Early in the morning on 16 July 1945, in the desert, they tested the first atomic bomb. They gave the test a secret name: "Trinity". The light was brighter than the sun. People felt it many kilometres away. The bomb worked. By this time Germany had already surrendered. But the war with Japan was not over.
1. What was Los Alamos, and why did most workers not know what they were making?
2. What happened in the desert on 16 July 1945?
1. It was a secret town in the desert where scientists worked on the bomb. The plan was so secret that most workers only knew their small job, not the whole plan.
2. They tested the first atomic bomb (the "Trinity" test). It worked. The light was brighter than the sun.
In August 1945, the government decided to use the bomb against Japan. On 6 August, a plane dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb fell on the city of Nagasaki. Tens of thousands of people died very quickly, and many more died later from their injuries. Most of them were ordinary people, not soldiers. On 15 August, Japan surrendered, and the Second World War ended.
People still argue about this today. Some say the bombs ended a terrible war quickly and saved many other lives. Others say it was wrong to destroy two cities full of ordinary people. Both sides feel strongly, and there is no easy answer.
The bomb changed the world. Oppenheimer, who led the science, was not happy. He said the world must control these weapons, not build more. But few people listened. Soon other countries built their own bombs too. For many years after, people lived in fear of nuclear war. The Manhattan Project showed that the bomb could be built. It left the world with a much harder question: what do we do now?
1. What happened in August 1945, and how did the war end?
2. What did Oppenheimer want after the war?
1. Two atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Tens of thousands of people died, most of them ordinary people. Japan surrendered on 15 August, and the war ended.
2. He wanted the world to control these weapons and not build more. But few people listened, and other countries built their own bombs.
This is a story about the past, so we use the past simple again and again: the scientists built the bomb, they tested it, Japan surrendered. Let's practise it.
Write the past simple of the verb in brackets.
1. Many scientists (work) on the secret project.
2. In the desert, they (test) the first bomb.
3. The families (live) behind fences in Los Alamos.
1. worked · 2. tested · 3. lived
Write the past simple. These verbs do not add -ed — check the list above.
1. The government (build) a secret city in the desert.
2. Einstein (give) his name to the letter.
3. A second bomb (fall) on Nagasaki.
1. built · 2. gave · 3. fell
Fill each gap with the past simple of the verb in brackets. Read it aloud when you finish.
In the 1930s, scientists (find) a way to split the atom. Einstein (write) a letter to the president. The government (start) a secret plan. In 1945 they (test) the bomb, and later Japan (surrender).
found (irregular) · wrote (irregular) · started (regular, +ed) · tested (regular, +ed) · surrendered (regular, +ed)
Remember: regular verbs add -ed; irregular verbs (like find → found, write → wrote) you must learn.
There is a real podcast about the Manhattan Project. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. About 50 minutes. Open the show on Spotify and search "Short History Of The Manhattan Project" to find the episode.
Open the show on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of the Manhattan Project in your own words. Use these steps to help you: scientists in Europe split the atom → they were afraid of Germany → Einstein wrote a letter → the government built a secret city → they tested the first bomb → two bombs fell on Japan → the war ended.
Try to use the past simple (found, wrote, built, tested, fell, surrendered) and some of the key words (scientist, bomb, atom, secret, energy, city).
Science can help people, but it can also make dangerous weapons. What do you think? Say one good thing and one dangerous thing that science has given the world. Which is bigger, the good or the danger?
Tell a short story about a difficult choice — yours or someone else's. Use the past simple for what happened.
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: