Interesting stories about the father of the atomic bomb

From predicting the existence of black holes to being called an "idiot" by Einstein, the life of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was full of interesting things.

Oppenheimer's life was not as dull as the lab. Photo: Universal Pictures

J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904 -1967) is famous for his role in directing the development of the world's first atomic bomb. The physicist's life outside the laboratory was not boring, according to Live Science .

1. The first person to predict the existence of black holes

Oppenheimer was a voracious reader and loved to learn about anything that interested him. After being introduced to astrophysics through his friend Richard Tolman, Oppenheimer began publishing papers on theoretical cosmic objects that had not yet been discovered, including calculations of the properties of white dwarfs and limits on the masses of neutron stars.

Perhaps Oppenheimer's most impressive astrophysical prediction came in 1939 when he co-wrote a paper called "On Continued Gravitational Contraction" with his student Hartland Snyder. The paper predicted that dead stars in deep space would exist with gravitational pulls stronger than their energy output. Although little noticed at the time, the paper was later rediscovered by physicists who credited Oppenheimer with predicting the existence of black holes.

2. Einstein called Oppenheimer an "idiot"

Oppenheimer and physicist Albert Einstein. Photo: CORBIS/Corbis

Oppenheimer's great intellect and ability to learn did not always overcome his emotional immaturity and political naiveté. One example was his disagreement with Albert Einstein during the height of McCarthyism. When he met Einstein at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, Oppenheimer confided in Einstein about the accusations against him. Einstein advised his colleague not to participate in the Atomic Energy Commission's investigation and trial. According to him, Oppenheimer should just go away.

But Oppenheimer decided to stay and fight. It was a battle Oppenheimer lost and a defeat that haunted him for the rest of his life. Einstein walked into the office, nodded at Oppenheimer and said to his secretary: "That guy is an idiot."

3. He could try to poison his professor with an apple.

Oppenheimer faced a difficult time while pursuing his PhD in physics at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England. The emotional stress and growing sense of isolation led to a severe depression. Oppenheimer's supervisor at Cambridge was Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, a brilliant and talented experimental physicist whom Oppenheimer envied. Despite Oppenheimer's impractical nature, Blackett forced the student to work in the laboratory.

Oppenheimer's frequent failures in the lab and his inability to get Blackett to pass his thesis worried him greatly. Driven by jealousy, Oppenheimer may have gone too far. A longtime friend, Francis Fergusson, revealed that Oppenheimer once confessed to poisoning an apple and leaving it on Blackett's desk. However, Oppenheimer's nephew, Charles Oppenheimer, denied this. But if the poisoned apple had existed, Blackett would not have eaten it.

4. President Truman called Oppenheimer a tearjerker.

Oppenheimer was very persuasive in a relaxed environment but had a tendency to crumble under pressure. Just two months after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Oppenheimer met with President Harry S. Truman in the Oval Office to share his concerns about the possibility of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Truman ignored Oppenheimer's concerns and assured the physicist that the Soviet Union would never develop an atomic bomb. Saddened by the president's indifference, Oppenheimer clenched his fists and said in a low voice, "Mr. President, I feel blood on my hands."

This statement angered Truman and quickly ended the meeting. Truman later wrote in 1946 that the father of the atomic bomb was a "tearful scientist who spent most of his time wringing his hands and saying that his hands were covered with blood from the discovery of atomic energy."

5. Students obsessed with Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer lectures at Kyoto University on September 14, 1960. Photo: The Asahi Shimbun

Oppenheimer was a great communicator. He not only used mathematics to understand the world, but also found useful ways to describe it in words. His skillful choice of words and his erudition outside of physics made him a compelling speaker.

Oppenheimer's speaking skills endeared him to his students. Some became so obsessed with the physicist that they began to dress and act like him, wearing gray suits, black shoes, smoking his favorite cigarettes, and imitating his eccentric behavior.

6. Oppenheimer was able to speak six languages, including ancient Sanskrit.

Oppenheimer loved the challenge of learning and relished every opportunity to demonstrate his prodigious intellectual abilities. He spoke six languages: Greek, Latin, French, German, Dutch (which he learned during a six-week lecture tour of Holland), and the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit.

Oppenheimer learned Sanskrit so he could read the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita. This is also the source of his later famous quote. In a 1965 interview with NBC, Oppenheimer recalled his feelings upon seeing the mushroom cloud from the first successful atomic bomb test: "Now I have become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

7. Oppenheimer was mistaken for a geologist at the age of 12.

From the age of seven, Oppenheimer was fascinated by crystals because of their structure and their interaction with polarized light. He became an avid mineral collector, using the family typewriter to write long, detailed letters to local geologists. Unaware that he was corresponding with a 12-year-old, a geologist invited Oppenheimer to speak at the New York Mineralogy Club. Oppenheimer asked his father to explain to the club that he was only 12, but amused by the mistake, his father urged his son to attend.

The roomful of geologists went from amazement to laughter when they learned that the boy was the mysterious letter writer, but they quickly brought a wooden box so he could reach the podium. Oppenheimer spoke fluently and was greeted with applause.

An Khang (According to Live Science )

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