Einstein warned about Germany developing nuclear weapons

August 2, 1939 –

Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd, representing fellow physicists who have discovered that an atomic bomb could be built from Uranium, write a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt explaining the dangers of Germany developing Atomic Bomb capabilities before the United States. The letter came just before the beginning of World War II.

The scientists warn Roosevelt of efforts in Nazi Germany to purify Uranium-235. Soon after the letter, the United States Government begins “The Manhattan Project.” Einstein later reacted to the destructive elements of the atom bomb by saying. “If only I had known I should have become a watchmaker.“