The course of history was changed forever the moment the world’s first nuclear bomb landed on Hiroshima at the end of World War II. However, not many know Iowa State played a key role in its development.

1939: German scientists discover a way to split the atom.

Sept. 1, 1939: Germany invades Poland, igniting WWII.

1939: Albert Einstein sends a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt expressing concern of Germany’s intentions to build a nuclear weapon.

1939: The Manhattan Project is born. 

Dec. 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor is attacked by Japan and the U.S. joins the war.

1942: The Manhattan Project gains momentum.

1942: Frank Spedding, professor at Iowa State, is tasked with purifying mass quantities of uranium at a low cost. 

May 7, 1945: Germany surrenders and the U.S. celebrates V-E Day.

Aug. 6, 1945: The world’s first atomic bomb is dropped onto Hiroshima, Japan by U.S. forces.

Aug. 9, 1945: The U.S. drops a second bomb onto Nagasaki, Japan. 

Sept. 2, 1945: Japan officially surrenders to the Allied forces, thus ending WWII.