From an i-person to an e-person, see Oppenheimer's legendary life

In the film "Oppenheimer", Oppenheimer, the "Father of the Atomic Bomb" in the United States, is a physicist who loves scientific research. As a recognized great scientist of that era, he successfully manufactured and tested the world's first atomic bomb in 1945 under tremendous pressure and was hailed as a hero. Beyond the halo, Oppenheimer's life was full of contradictions, and many interesting stories have been passed down, which make him seem more real.

Poster of the film "Oppenheimer", source: Baidu Encyclopedia

The top student was locked up in the ice house!

In the early autumn of 1920, a rumor spread like wildfire in the Fieldston School of Arts and Sciences in New York, USA, that a Jewish top student was locked in an ice house in the summer camp for several hours by his classmates. When the guard found him, his mouth was frozen purple. The teachers all expressed doubts. Although the child was shy and introverted, he was a top student who would make a big splash if he did not make a name for himself. This should not have happened.

The academic genius was named Robert Oppenheimer, and he was 16 years old at the time.

Born into a wealthy Jewish family in Germany, he moved to New York with his parents when he was young. At the age of 7, he entered the Fieldston School of Arts and Sciences, which is known as the top private school in New York. He showed unique talents in language and natural science. Oppenheimer not only liked literature, history, mathematics, and physics, but also took elective courses such as Latin and French, and got A in all of them. Because of his excellent grades, he skipped several grades, became a member of the New York Mineralogical Society, and gave a wonderful speech at a geology lecture. He was a famous prodigy and academic master in the local area.

Oppenheimer and his father, source: Wikimedia Commons

However, Oppenheimer was essentially an introvert and unsociable person. While studying at Fieldston School, he rarely interacted with his classmates privately and had few friends. His inherent arrogance was also not tolerated by some classmates. Due to his thin body, Oppenheimer was often bullied by his classmates, which led to the rumor that he was locked up in the ice house at the summer camp.

Psychologists suffer from depression!

Being bullied did not affect the study of the top student at all. After graduating from Fieldston School of Arts and Sciences in 1921 with all A's in ten subjects, Oppenheimer was successfully admitted to the world-renowned Harvard University. He graduated early in 1925 with the highest honors in chemistry and went to Cambridge University in the UK for further studies. During this period, he grew up to be a handsome man with blue eyes, straight nose, fair skin and tall stature.

Oppenheimer's study in Cambridge was not smooth. The fundamental reason was that his experimental physics level was very poor, and he could even be described as "clumsy" when doing experiments.

The instructor first recommended Oppenheimer to Rutherford, the British physics authority, as a student. Rutherford, who was known for his seriousness, forwarded the recommendation letter to the Cavendish Laboratory, probably because he thought Oppenheimer's experimental physics was too poor. However, the Cavendish Laboratory had higher requirements for practical ability, so Oppenheimer was naturally not qualified to be selected.

Fortunately, Thomson, the head of the Cavendish Laboratory (who discovered the electron), had a keen eye for talent and allowed Oppenheimer to study experimental physics with his assistant Blackett (who won the 1948 Nobel Prize in Physics). Oppenheimer, who did not like or was not good at experimental physics, was particularly depressed and had a very bad relationship with his mentor Blackett. There were even rumors that he had poisoned his mentor with an apple. "Laboratory work is boring, and I am not doing well. Sometimes I really doubt whether I can learn anything - even lectures are not very meaningful." Oppenheimer's letter to his classmate Ferguson was full of depression. ("Oppenheimer Biography")

Oppenheimer fell in love with smoking, often forgot to eat because of deep thinking, and became thinner and thinner. After many diagnoses, the psychiatrist said he was suffering from depression. His friends suggested that he stay away from the laboratory and do his favorite theoretical physics.

Oppenheimer, who never stops smoking, source: Wikimedia Commons

Oppenheimer smiled bitterly. In fact, he had studied psychology for many years and liked it more than theoretical physics. His friend Wolfgang Pauli even joked that "(Oppenheimer) seems to treat physics as a side job and psychoanalysis as a career." A psychologist suffering from depression, what else can Oppenheimer do except smile bitterly?

The professor is actually out of touch with worldly matters!

After more than a year of self-adjustment, Oppenheimer, who had been engaged in psychology research for many years, finally returned to normal. With the arrangement of his family, he went to the University of Göttingen in Germany to study under the physics master Professor Max Born.

A genius is a genius after all. Under Born's guidance, Oppenheimer not only published dozens of papers on quantum mechanics and obtained a doctorate degree, but also met scientists such as Werner Heisenberg, laying a solid foundation for his subsequent nuclear weapons research.

In 1929, Oppenheimer began to teach at both the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, and taught for many years. During this period, his life showed two extremes: in class, he was a professor with first-class eloquence; in his spare time, he liked to study quantum mechanics and read the ancient Indian epic "Bhagavad Gita" behind closed doors, and was a loner with little communication. Because Oppenheimer taught well, students competed to attend his classes, and some even traveled back and forth between Caltech and the University of California, Berkeley with him. Many students also imitated Oppenheimer's dressing and walking. In today's words, they are Oppenheimer's super fans.

Oppenheimer in middle age, source: Wikimedia Commons

Oppenheimer, who had a stable income, only focused on lecturing and studying physics every day, and was not sensitive to changes in the world. One day, he walked into the classroom and found that only most of the students were in class, which made him very curious. When he heard students say that other students went to work to earn money, he felt incredible. At this time, a female student said loudly that there was an economic crisis in Europe and everyone was in trouble. Oppenheimer said "Oh" thoughtfully. The story about Professor Oppenheimer's otherworldliness quickly spread throughout the school.

"Madman" and "Fool" become friends!

The young Oppenheimer performed so well that he seemed a little arrogant. For quite a long time, he divided the scientists of the time into two categories: normal people who supported the new quantum theory, and abnormal people who opposed the new quantum theory. In 1935, after visiting the world-renowned theoretical research institution Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Oppenheimer wrote to his brother: "Princeton Institute for Advanced Study is really a madhouse... Einstein here is a complete madman." ("Oppenheimer Biography") Interestingly, 12 years later, Oppenheimer would become the director of this "madhouse".

Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Einstein, who was called a "madman", was not angry, but maintained friendly communication with Oppenheimer. Because in his eyes, Oppenheimer was a rare talent in theoretical physics research. As shown in the movie "Oppenheimer", the friendship between the two men lasted until their old age.

Gold will always shine. Oppenheimer applied his genius to the research of atomic bombs, leading the famous "Manhattan Project". He was known as the "Father of the Atomic Bomb" in the United States for developing the world's first atomic bomb. After the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, American nuclear physicists were divided into two groups: those who advocated the use of nuclear weapons and those who opposed the use of nuclear weapons. Oppenheimer stood among those who opposed the use of nuclear weapons, which led to the famous "Oppenheimer case". This case has two meanings: one is that Oppenheimer was excluded from secret research and later his security privilege was revoked; the other is that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI in movies and TV) conducted a comprehensive investigation on Oppenheimer, trying to find evidence of his crimes such as collusion with the Communists.

In the spring of 1954, Oppenheimer and Einstein met by chance at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. It had been almost 20 years since Oppenheimer first entered the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Youth was no longer in their prime, and both of them were very mature in their thoughts and academics. As the dean, Oppenheimer complained that he could not conduct secret research and that there were always FBI people around him. Einstein proposed two ways to deal with it: one was to resign in protest, and the other was to leave the United States and find another way to make a living. "I can't do this!" Oppenheimer was very firm, but he did not explain the reason. One was that he loved his motherland very much, and the other was that he hoped to influence politicians with his contribution to the United States.

Oppenheimer (right) and Einstein (source see watermark)

Einstein smiled but did not respond. After Oppenheimer left, he said to his assistant and secretary: "Nar! Nar!" "Nar" means "fool" in Yiddish (a Germanic language spoken by many German Jews).

Einstein's vision was accurate. The "idiot" Oppenheimer brought himself to an unfair court, had his security approval authority stripped away, and was publicly humiliated. This is the true background of the story in the movie "Oppenheimer".

Oppenheimer was an interesting genius. In addition to being locked up in an ice house as a teenager, suffering from depression in his youth, being aloof from the world in his middle age, and being called a "fool" in his later years, there are many interesting stories about him, such as his poems being published in city-level literary magazines, his being nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics three times, and President Truman calling him a "crybaby". These rumors made him very well-known in the West, especially in the United States, where he is a household name.

Despite this, Oppenheimer's contribution to the world and to mankind is obvious to all. His original intention of making the atomic bomb was just to accelerate the end of the war. Oppenheimer used his own experience to tell scientists that scientists should not only pursue knowledge, but also have a sense of responsibility and moral bottom line. This may be the best footnote to Oppenheimer's life anecdotes, and it is also what the movie "Oppenheimer" wants to tell people the most!

References:

1. "Six Things You Should Know About Oppenheimer Before Watching the Movie", by Fu Tingting, "Chinese Entrepreneurs", September 2023

2. Oppenheimer: The American Tragedy of the “Father of the Atomic Bomb”, by Kay Bird and Martin Sherwin, translated by Li Xiaolong et al., Yilin Press, December 2009

3. "The Complexity of Legendary Scientist Oppenheimer", by Laine Perfas, Harvard Gazette, August 4, 2023

Author: Wei Deyong, member of Shenzhen Writers Association, Guangdong