How did the atomic bomb get started?

The atomic bomb project began during World War II, driven by fears that Nazi Germany was developing nuclear weapons. In 1938, the discovery of nuclear fission by German scientists prompted concerns about the possibility of a powerful bomb. This led to the U.S. government initiating the Manhattan Project in 1942, a secret program to research and develop atomic weapons. The project culminated in the successful detonation of the first atomic bomb in July 1945 in New Mexico, followed by its use against Japan in August 1945.