Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Quotes References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images, Videos & Interactives
J. Robert Oppenheimer
The true story of Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb
J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leslie R. Groves Manhattan Project interactive timeline John von Neumann
For Students
default image
J. Robert Oppenheimer summary
Quizzes
Civil rights leader Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers a speech to a crowd of approximately 7,000 people on May 17, 1967 at UC Berkeley's Sproul Plaza in Berkeley, California.
Who Said It? Famous Quotes Quiz
Michael Faraday (L) English physicist and chemist (electromagnetism) and John Frederic Daniell (R) British chemist and meteorologist who invented the Daniell cell.
Faces of Science
Italian-born physicist Dr. Enrico Fermi draws a diagram at a blackboard with mathematical equations. circa 1950.
Physics and Natural Law
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
J. Robert Oppenheimer
J. Robert Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer.

J. Robert Oppenheimer

American physicist
Also known as: Julius Robert Oppenheimer
Written by
Michel Rouzé
Former producer in French broadcasting. Author of Robert Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb; Robert Oppenheimer: The Man and His Theories.
Michel Rouzé
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

J. Robert Oppenheimer (born April 22, 1904, New York, New York, U.S.—died February 18, 1967, Princeton, New Jersey) was an American theoretical physicist and science administrator, noted as director of the Los Alamos Laboratory (1943–45) during development of the atomic bomb and as director of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (1947–66). Accusations of disloyalty led to a government hearing that resulted in the loss of his security clearance and of his position as adviser...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content

Unsubscribe Anytime!

Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile