The hype is building for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which premieres on July 21st. The film boasts an A-list cast and comes from the director responsible for “The Dark Knight,” “Inception” and “Memento.”
Based on the novel, “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” the film follows the story of Julius Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) a theoretical physicist and director of the laboratory responsible for the development of the atomic bomb.
But for those unfamiliar with atomic history (or maybe those more familiar with the characters in the upcoming “Barbie” movie, instead), here’s what to know about the man on which the film is based, J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb.”
Exclusive footage:Why Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ is ‘the most important story of our time’
Where was Oppenheimer born?
Oppenheimer was born in New York, in 1904 to German immigrant and wealthy textile importer, Julius Oppenheimer and painter Ella Friedman Oppenheimer, according to the National Parks Service, which described him as a quiet child, studying mineralogy and writing poetry.
Where did Oppenheimer go to college?
Oppenheimer was admitted to Harvard University but postponed his enrollment due to illness, according to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.
After enrolling in 1922, he studied physics, chemistry, Latin, Greek and eastern philosophy at Harvard before traveling to the University of Cambridge where he studied two terms, per the school. He then transferred to the University of Göttingen where he earned a doctorate in physics, according to the nuclear museum.
He then returned to the United States to teach physics at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology. There he conducted research on black holes and neutron stars. He worked alongside experimental physicist and Noble Prize winner Ernest Lawrence, played by Josh Hartnett in the film.
Oppenheimer’s…
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