The Atomic Bombs -
Canada's Involvement
By: Jessica Sawyer & Victoria Schrapp
About the Atomic Bombs
Canadian Sites
- The following Provinces and Territory provided the Manhattan Project the resources needed to help complete the atomic bombs
- The largest man-made explosion in history thus far
- There were two atomic bombs created during World War II called the Little Boy and the Fat Man
- The Americans entered the war after a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour
- In order to stand a chance in the war, American President Franklin Roosevelt knew they had to build a new innovated weapon of mass destruction
- This led to the establishment of the Manhattan Project
British Columbia
Northwest Territories
- Contained a mine full of uranium and uranium-bearing ore
- Located near Great Bear Lake
- This ore was extracted and shipped thousands of kilometers to a refining facility in Ontario
- Produced and supplied heavy water for the Manhattan Project, mainly to U.S. military facilities
- Heavy water was essential to creating a reaction between plutonium and uranium
- It sold the product until 1956
Recap
The Manhattan Project
Ontario
- A project created in 1942 in Manhattan to research and develop the two atomic bombs
- Led by the United States with Canada and the United Kingdom as major supporters
- Scientists discovered that the splitting of an atom would be able to produce a massive nuclear reaction (the atomic bomb)
- This site was chosen due to its proximity to the industrial manufacturing area of Ontario and Quebec
- Able to quickly access supplies needed
- Close to a railway and military base camp
- Able to quickly import and export items between provinces
Little Boy
Fat Man
- Dropped August 6th, 1945
- The Little Boy was the first nuclear weapon ever dropped during war in Hiroshima
- The bomb weighed approximately 9,000 pounds and could create an explosion equal to approximately 20,000 tons of TNT
- Approximately 80,000 people were killed instantly
- Dropped August 9th, 1945 in Nagasaki, just three days after the Little Boy bombing
- The Fat Man was the second atomic bomb dropped and essentially ended World War II
- The bomb weighed 10,300 pounds and created an explosion equal to approximately 25,000 tons of TNT
- Approximately 40,000 people were killed instantly - bomb failed to hit target area
- Tens of thousands of people later died due to radiation poisoning from the effects of both bombs
Montréal Laboratory
Major Players
- Established in 1942
- Over 300 staff members
- Where most of the nuclear research was performed
- The laboratory became associated with the U.S. Manhattan Project
- There were many important people that assisted in the making of the atomic bombs
- Two important men were: Louis Slotin and C.D. Howe
Louis Slotin
C.D. Howe
- Born January 15, 1886
- Canada' s Wartime Cabinet Minister during the process of creating the atomic bombs
- A re-location was needed for the laboratory, so C.D. Howe approved of the Montreal Laboratory
- Howe was in charge of overlooking the progress in the new laboratory
- Born December 1st, 1910
- Canadian physicist and chemist who worked on the Manhattan Project
- Specialized in triggering devices
- A year after the War ended, Slotin was killed from over exposure to radiation
The Quebec Agreement
- This was an agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States saying that there are limitations to the development and uses of nuclear energy
Interesting Facts
- The agreement also stated that there must always be a responsible representative from Canada, Britain or the United States overseeing the production of any nuclear developement
After Effects
- The after effects of the atomic bombs were massive and permanent
- They left physical, emotional, and spiritual scars on the citizens of Japan
- Albert Einstein: came up with the idea of an atomic bomb - one of the lead scientists in the making of the bombs
- Hiroshima was chosen because it was a large port city with the main army base for Japan. It also was not previously damaged by prior bombings
- The atomic bombs inspired other countries to develop their own, including France, Britain, India and China
- It cost 5 billion dollars per bomb to produce
Health Effects
The Terms
The leaders agreed to the following terms:
- "We will never use this agency against each other"
- "We will not use it against third parties without each other's consent"
- "We will not either of us communicate any information about Tube Alloys to third parties except by mutual consent"
- Shortly after the the nuclear explosion, black rain began to fall
- Anyone caught in the black rain experienced the same horrible health affects as those effected radiation poisoning
- Many people that did not die immediately after the bombing, later died due to radiation poisoning
- Any water source near the nuclear explosion became contaminated and anyone that consumed this water would cough up a yellow substance
- Many died instantly
Video
End of War
- Japan surrendered and World War II came to an end
- Emperor Hirohito gave the final word to surrender
- Although the atomic bombs cost many Japanese lives, it also saved many
- It is said that World War II would have lasted many more years and end up killing even more people than the atomic bombs did
- Thanks to Canada's participation, the US was able to launch the atomic bombs before Germany got a chance to complete theirs
- Canada allowed for a quicker and more efficient process in the making of the bombs