Christine Yin Senior Division Individual Website

Process Paper As I was thinking about what to choose as the topic of my National History Day project, I kept thinking about the Nuclear Bombs used in World War II (WWII). At first, I did not want to do my project on the atomic bomb, because I thought many people would choose the same topic. I decided to do a little research on the topic anyway. After discovering that Einstein was involved and reading information about the Manhattan Project, I became more interested in learning more about the atomic bomb. In reading about the atomic bomb, it seemed obvious to me that this was a major turning point in world history. It was then that I decided that my project had to be about the atomic bomb and the Manhattan Project. Since the Manhattan Project was officially formed and funded on December 6, 1941, which was a day before Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan, I chose the title The Day Before Pearl Harbor: The Manhattan Project for my title. I was able to do most of my research online and at the library, but needed primary resources. I conducted several interviews, including WWII pilot Guy Longshore and the grandson of Paul Tibbets, who carried the atomic bomb to Japan. Other interviews helped me gain different perspectives of the use of the atomic bomb. I also conducted an interview with physics professor Terry Austin to better understand fission. Documentaries on Einstein and the Manhattan Project that I checked out of the library were also very helpful. I was also able to go to the National Archives in Atlanta for some original documents. I choose a website as my category. A website allowed me to add many pictures that would not be able to be shown in a performance or exhibit. It also allowed me to state clearly what was not easy to put into a documentary.

The website template theme was chosen because it looks like an old letter, representing the letter that Einstein wrote to President Roosevelt, encouraging Roosevelt to begin a nuclear research program. The pictures were chosen to represent the people involved in the Manhattan Project, the ideas behind fission, and the nuclear bombs themselves that ended WWII. The website was organized so that the introduction (thesis), turning point (people, ideas, and events/timeline), and historical context (society, politics, and warfare) would be easy to locate across the top tabs. Was it Einsteins letter, the Manhattan Project, the pair or bombs dropped, or a particular researcher that can be called the turning point? The decision to officially fund and form the Manhattan Project seems to be the best thing to call the turning point because it was the answer to Einsteins letter and led to the end of the war for the United States. In addition, the results of the decision have changed warfare, politics, and society from that time until today, making it a major turning point in history.