Oppenheimer: The ‘destroyer of worlds’ who built the atomic bomb – and how his legacy still impacts us today
Each time Vladimir Putin raises the spectre of nuclear confrontation, the trail ultimately leads back to one man.
Eighty years before the Russian president invaded Ukraine, and brought the potential of such weapons back to mainstream attention, J Robert Oppenheimer was recruited to lead a team that would construct the world’s first atomic bombs.
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The Manhattan Project, set up during the Second World War in 1942, was guided by fear that if the US and its allies didn’t make them first, Hitler’s Nazi scientists would.
A left-wing theoretical physicist not known for his leadership qualities or laboratory acumen, the American was an unconventional pick but proved a devastatingly effective one.
As blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer hits cinemas, Sky News looks at how the father of the atomic bomb still shapes the world decades after his creation was deployed.
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An unusual recruitment
Oppenheimer was appointed by General Leslie Groves, the project’s military leader, to head up Site Y – a secret weapons research facility at Los Alamos, New Mexico.
But there were, as Oppenheimer biographer Professor Ray Monk puts it, “all sorts of reasons” not to appoint him, notably perceived association with communist organisations that had made him a suspect of the FBI.
Born to a Jewish family in New York in 1906, his student years had seen him drawn to the left as Germany’s fascist regime saw friends and relatives oppressed and forced to flee.
During studies at Harvard, Cambridge, and Germany‘s Gottingen university in the 1920s, he was known for being a “disaster in the laboratory”. Of his time studying physics at Harvard, Oppenheimer himself said: “My feeling about myself was always one of extreme discontent.”
Oppenheimer worked in education before and after the war
He may have been unconvincing in the lab, but found his calling as a university lecturer in California. His ability to explain complex science in a relatively straightforward and compelling way proved key to impressing Groves, who interviewed countless scientists before a chance meeting with Oppenheimer.
Crucially, he also recognised the need for urgency.
Prof Monk says: “Oppenheimer knew Heisenberg, one of the greatest scientists in the world, who he worked with at Gottingen, was leading the Nazi bomb project and was worried they would get one before the Allies.
“He was in no doubt at all – the duty of all scientists in the US, and the allied countries, was building a bomb first.”
Oppenheimer enjoyed an unconventional relationship with Leslie Groves. Pic: Digital Photo Archive, Department of Energy
Building the bomb
Los Alamos was one of three sites critical to the development of the atomic bomb.
The others were a factory in Hanford, Washington, where plutonium was made; and a hidden base in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for enriching uranium.
The two elements would act as fuel for the bombs made at Los Alamos, two of which would be dropped on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August 1945.
Cynthia C Kelly is founder and president of the Atomic Heritage Foundation, dedicated to the preservation of the Manhattan Project and crucial to having the three sites gain national park status in the US.
“It was a first-of-a-kind effort across the board,” she says of the Manhattan Project, named after the New York City district where it was founded.
With the city that never sleeps deemed too busy for such a secretive initiative, the three laboratories were set up in isolated places far away from urban centres and the coast. They brought together geniuses from across America and overseas – including Britain and some who fled Nazi Germany – into one single-minded pursuit.
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“It required creative minds from the machinists to the craftsmen – everything had to be perfect,” Kelly adds, with a “classic absent-minded professor” at the heart of it.
“They had to take this energy, which had been uncontrolled up to now, figure out how to control it, and package it tightly enough to fit in the bomb bay of an aeroplane that could transport it and drop it.
“They had little confidence in harnessing this technology in time for the end of the war.”
Oppenheimer on the test ground for the atomic bomb near Almagordo, New Mexico
Becoming Death
But harness it they did – and the world would change forever.
The first atomic bomb test in New Mexico happened on 16 July 1945, after which Oppenheimer uttered a line that, along with his trademark fedora and pipe, has become quintessential to his public image.
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” he observed after the so-called Trinity Test, quoting a sacred Hindu text in a reminder of his acumen as a philosopher as well as a scientist.
A few weeks after, death followed on an unimaginable scale. On 6 August, a uranium-based bomb named Little Boy was detonated over Hiroshima; and another, Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki three days later.
The atomic bomb dropped on Japan’s Nagasaki in 1945
Both cities were left unrecognisable, 200,000 people died, and Japan surrendered. Oppenheimer was shaken.
“Right up until the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, he had no moral qualms whatsoever,” says Prof Monk.
“Even when the Germans surrendered (on 7 May 1945), and it was obvious the Americans were still going to use the bomb against the Japanese, he had no qualms.
“But he thought one demonstration of the awesome power of this weapon was enough.”
Hiroshima in March 1946, six months after America’s atomic bomb was dropped
A new world
Despite its undoubted role in ending the Second World War, which cost the lives of some 90 million people, Oppenheimer was changed by the atomic bomb, believing it made the prospect of future conflict “unendurable”.
“It has led us up those last few steps to the mountain pass; and beyond there is a different country,” he said in 1946, later signalling his opposition to his government’s plan to develop even bigger nuclear weapons.
Oppenheimer was ignored and held in deep suspicion, and his security clearance at the Atomic Energy Commission eventually rescinded. He died of lung cancer in 1967 with none of the power he once yielded.
Oppenheimer testifies before the Senate military affairs committee in Washington in 1945
Nuclear weapons have not been used again, but the threat lingers. America and Russia’s arsenals are far smaller than their Cold War peak, but they hold 90% of an estimated global stockpile of 13,000 weapons.
Other nuclear powers include China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Like Putin, Kim Jong Un has on several occasions threatened to use them. The Nuclear Threat Initiative, an organisation focused on reducing nuclear and biological threats, says the world could be “sleepwalking into a nuclear disaster”.
Ever since Oppenheimer witnessed the Trinity Test in the New Mexico desert, Cynthia C Kelly says there’s been “no way to put the genie back in the bottle”.
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‘Nuclear weapon threat never goes away’
Beyond the mountain
While Oppenheimer failed in his post-war efforts, his work is the best example world leaders have of why they wouldn’t want to risk “mutually-assured destruction” by launching a nuclear weapon.
Two cities devastated beyond recognition have seemingly served as the ultimate deterrence.
“Oppenheimer was invited to say he regretted developing the atomic bomb many times, most prominently when he visited Japan, and his answer was always no,” says Prof Monk.
“It can be argued the fact the weapons have never been used again shows deterrence works.”
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Beyond deterrence, the Manhattan Project also unleashed an era of science and innovation still being felt today, including nuclear energy vital to weaning ourselves off greenhouse gases.
Last year, American scientists performed the first-ever nuclear fusion experiment to achieve net energy gain, paving the way for a “clean energy source that could revolutionise the world”.
Some experts have called for a Manhattan Project-style initiative to combat climate change, leveraging the same urgency and determination to tackle a crisis that threatens us all. The startling rise of artificial intelligence, already compared to the threat of nuclear weapons by its very creators, may present another such opportunity.
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Energy: Is fusion the future?
Unfortunately, nothing seems to focus the minds quite like war.
“Weapons are one part of the nuclear story, and that will be with us until we blow ourselves up,” says Kelly.
“Hopefully that won’t happen and, as Oppenheimer put it, we can see beyond the mountain.”
Entertainment
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis says anti-IDF chants ‘crossed a line’ and no place at festival for ‘hate speech’
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has said chants of “death to the IDF” on its West Holts stage on Saturday “very much crossed a line”.
Eavis, whose father Michael co-founded the festival, posted on Instagram on Sunday morning responding to rap duo Bob Vylan’s set the day before.
“Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence,” she wrote.
She said that while “as a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism – we will always believe in – and actively campaign for – hope, unity, peace and love”, adding a performer’s comments “should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs”.
Eavis added: “With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share.”
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The rappers’ set was streamed live on the BBC on Saturday, showing one of them shouting the slogan into the mic, with some of the crowd joining in.
They also performed in front of a screen that claimed Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to “genocide”.
The Israeli embassy posted on X in the hours after the set saying it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric”.
It said the slogan used “advocates for the dismantling of the State of Israel”.
The post on X added: “When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence.”
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What’s the Glastonbury controversy?
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it will be formally complaining to the BBC over its “outrageous decision” to broadcast the performance.
Avon and Somerset Police said they are looking at whether a criminal offence was committed.
“Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation,” the force said in a post on social media.
Bob Vylan’s set may have pushed things too far
Bob Vylan, a punk-rap duo known for their politically charged lyrics taking on racism, fascism, police brutality, toxic masculinity, inequality and more, performed on the festival’s third biggest stage, West Holts, with a capacity of about 30,000.
They played to their own fans but no doubt thousands who had turned out to secure their place for the controversial Irish-language rappers Kneecap who followed.
After the Bob Vylan performance was aired live, clips quickly flooded social media – shared by those supporting the band and condemning them.
“The BBC didn’t cover Kneecap’s set at Glastonbury Festival over Free Palestine chants, so Bob Vylan, who BBC covered, stepped in,” posted the Celebrities4Palestine account alongside a clip on Instagram, also shared by Bob Vylan.
The IDF comments on stage may well have been made regardless. Or did Kneecap’s “cancelling” by the BBC, as some people saw it, encourage other acts to speak out even more?
Police are investigating both performances. Kneecap’s Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, at one point mentioned “a riot outside the courts” over his bandmate Liam Og O hAnnaidh’s (Mo Chara) upcoming second appearance on a terror charge, before clarifying: “No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.”
With its history of activism, Glastonbury has always championed free speech. But it seems Bob Vylan’s set may have pushed things too far.
It’s fair to say that here at Glastonbury, for most of the 200,000 people on site this weekend, it is still all about the music. The majority did not see these sets and many are not even aware of the criticism outside Worthy Farm.
Today is the final day of artist performances, with acts including Olivia Rodrigo, Rod Stewart and the Prodigy on the bill. But instead of the magic of the most famous festival in the world, both organisers and the broadcaster are now facing more questions about Bob Vylan and, to a lesser extent, Kneecap, as criticism mounts.
Bob Vylan went on stage just ahead of a performance by Kneecap, the Irish rap band that the prime minister and others called to be removed from the Glastonbury and other festival line-ups over alleged on-stage endorsements of terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
Ultimately, the BBC decided not to broadcast Kneecap’s set live, but have since made it available to watch on catch-up on iPlayer.
One of its members, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was charged with a terror offence in May after being accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig.
His bandmate Naoise O Caireallain told Glastonbury crowds on Saturday they should “start a riot outside the courts”, before clarifying: “No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine.”
O hAnnaidh – also known as Mo Chara – wore a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf for their set and told fans he was a “free man”.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap on stage on Saturday. Pic: Reuters
Questions over why BBC broadcast chants
The government’s culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to BBC boss Tim Davie for an “urgent explanation” about what steps were taken around the Bob Vylan set.
Speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on behalf of the government, Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the chant as “appalling” and a “shameless publicity stunt”.
“The fact that we saw that chant at a music festival – when there were Israelis at a similar music festival who were kidnapped, murdered, raped, and in some cases still held captive,” he said in reference to the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack at the Nova music festival.
He added that while “there’s no justification for inciting violence against Israelis… the way in which Israel’s conducting this war has made it extremely difficult for Israel’s allies around the world to stand by and justify”.
“I’d also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order, in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank,” he told Phillips.
Palestinian flags at Glastonbury. Pic: Reuters
Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch reposted a clip of the Bob Vylan set describing it as “grotesque”.
“Violence against Jews isn’t edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked,” she said on X.
Lucy McMullin, who was in the crowd for Bob Vylan, told Sky News: “When there’s children and civilians being murdered and starved, then I think it’s important that people are speaking out on these issues.
“However, inciting more death and violence is not the way to do it.”
A BBC spokesperson confirmed the Bob Vylan stream will not be made available to watch on its iPlayer.
“Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive,” their statement said.
“During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.”
Entertainment
Israeli embassy ‘deeply disturbed’ by Bob Vylan’s ‘death to the IDF’ Glastonbury chant
The Israeli embassy has said it’s “deeply disturbed” by chants of “death to the IDF” at Glastonbury – as police also investigate the incident.
Video shows one of the members of Bob Vylan shouting the slogan into the mic and some of the crowd joining in.
The duo were performing ahead of a performance by Kneecap, the Irish act who the prime minister said should be ditched from the line-up.
“The Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival,” a statement said.
It said slogans like Saturday’s chant “advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel”.
The BBC said some of the comments by Bob Vylan were ‘deeply offensive’. Pic: PA
The post on X added: “When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence.”
Avon and Somerset Police said they are looking at whether a criminal offence was committed.
Bob Vylan also performed in front of a screen quoting a claim that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to BBC boss Tim Davie for an “urgent explanation” about what due diligence it carried out into Bob Vylan.
Thousands watched the set on the West Holts stage. Pic: PA
A spokesman said the government strongly condemned the “threatening comments” by the group, whose X bio describes them as a “punk/rap/alt thing”.
A BBC statement said: “Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive.
“During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language.
“We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch re-posted a clip of the incident and called it “grotesque”.
“Violence against Jews isn’t edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked,” she said on X.
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A statement from Glastonbury Festival said it “does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers”.
Kneecap also performed – with the BBC not showing them live. Pic: Reuters
Irish group Kneecap followed Bob Vylan – with the broadcaster not carrying their performance live amid concern over what they might do or say.
However, it’s understood their show will be made available on demand after a review.
One of its members, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was charged with a terror offence in May after being accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed terror group Hezbollah at a gig.
Pic: Reuters
There were Palestinian flags among the crowd for Kneecap’s show. Pic: Reuters
Bandmate Naoise O Caireallain told the packed Glastonbury crowd they should “start a riot outside the courts”, before clarifying: “No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine.”
O hAnnaidh – also known as Mo Chara – wore a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf for Saturday’s set and told fans he was a “free man”.
Entertainment
Calum Scott: Britain’s Got Talent star on fame, mental health and dealing with body dysmorphia
There was a moment in Calum Scott’s life when he found himself contemplating taking his own life.
The 36-year-old singer-songwriter tells Sky News: “I did get to a point where I had a very low self-esteem, very low self-worth… I thought, ‘I can’t see how my life will get any better from this moment’.”
He says it was only the thought of the “shattering” impact his death would have on his mum Debbie that pulled him back from the edge and gave him the momentum to reach out for help.
“What I thought was my lowest moment was probably my most defining moment in terms of being able to pick myself up… and to walk away, albeit with lots of tears and a lot of emotion.
“That was the moment that I needed to pursue better mental health.”
Calum Scott has achieved a billion streams of his music. Pic: Tom Cockram
He’s since racked up a billion streams of his music, joining the likes of The Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston and ABBA in his achievement.
His biggest UK chart hit – a cover of Robyn’s Dancing On My Own – reached number two in the singles chart, with the video having been viewed more than half a billion times on YouTube.
It’s a future he would have found hard to comprehend just a decade ago.
Scott was working in the HR department of Hull City Council when Britain’s Got Talent made him an overnight star after receiving a “golden buzzer” (an automatic pass into the semi-finals) from judge Simon Cowell.
Scott reached the final – which was won by Jules O’Dwyer and her dog Matisse – and the singer’s success was the things dreams are made of. But he admits, it wasn’t all roses.
Calum performing with Take That at the King’s coronation. Pic: PA
“That was when I first started having panic attacks,” he says. “For me to suddenly start down that road was scary.
“There’s no handbook on how to deal with fame. That doesn’t exist, as far as I know.”
A notoriously tough business, Scott says the music scene is one where “people constantly want something from you”.
The death of One Direction star Liam Payne – who rose to fame on talent show X Factor – last year was a stark reminder of the pressure on those in the public eye.
Liam Payne died last year. Pic: Reuters
Scott says Payne’s death could be the “wake-up call that the industry needs” to highlight “the pressure, the expectation (and) the workload” on young artists.
“You need that balance to be able to be creative, and the industry is where art meets consumerism,” he says.
“I think you’ve got to be careful that that line doesn’t start to impose on your soul and in your heart.”
‘A prisoner in your own body’
For Scott, his desire to perform in front of thousands has lived alongside his battle with the debilitating mental health condition, body dysmorphia.
“It’s an industry where people are not only listening to the music, but they’re looking at you and scrutinising you, and it’s difficult to put yourself out there – to be enjoyed and to entertain people – but also to be criticised,” he says.
Estimated to affect up to 2% of the adult population in the UK, according to the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation, sufferers spend hours worrying about perceived flaws in their appearance, which can severely impact work, social life and relationships.
Scott says: “For me, growing up, I had a few issues with my sexuality and my dad leaving when I was young and losing all my friends. A lot of reasons compounded down as to why I ended up with body dysmorphia.”
Pic: Tom Cockram
At his worst, obsessively documenting his perceived flaws, Scott says: “For anybody who’s suffering with body dysmorphia, you feel a prisoner in your own body, and it’s awful.
“With social media, it’s difficult because every facet of every part of our life is documented on Instagram in the perfect way. And that’s just not how life works.
“People aren’t putting their worst parts on social media. Somebody wakes up at six in the morning, they’re beautiful and their hair’s done, but somebody set that camera up to record that moment. It’s not real.”
‘The favourite part of my job’
One thing that is real is Scott’s connection to his fans.
Calum at this year’s Brit Awards. Pic: Reuters
“My favourite part of my job is going to a gig and performing the songs that have resonated with people in such different, vast ways, and watching it happen in real time,” he says.
“It’s like magic, you know? Like the stuff you used to watch – Paul Daniels on the TV, and my god, it just used to buzz you. It’s the same thing.”
With a new album and a 48-city world tour ahead of him, Scott’s story is an inspiring one.
A mental health advocate, his message of hope is one he hopes to share with his fans and beyond: “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t give myself the opportunity to. It’s important to just stay headstrong, believe in yourself. Anything’s possible.”
Calum Scott’s third studio album, Avenoir, is out on 12 September, followed by his world tour, which kicks off on 12 October in Porto, Portugal.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
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