The joint effort of outstanding scientists at Los Alamos culminated in the first nuclear explosion on July 16, 1945, at the Trinity Site near Alamogordo, New Mexico, after the surrender of Germany. Julius Robert Oppenheimer was born on April 22nd, 1904 in New York City. In 2014, 60 years after the proceedings that effectively ended Oppenheimers career, the Department of Energy released the full, declassified transcript of the hearing. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. He led the scientific end of the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico, beginning in 1942. Robert Julius OPPENHEIMER was born on month day 1904, at birth place, New York, to Julius Seligmann OPPENHEIMER and Ella OPPENHEIMER (born FRIEDMANN). , 1943. . , . , . , . As he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945, a piece of Hindu scripture ran through the mind of Robert Oppenheimer: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds . Julius Robert Oppenheimer was born to Julius Oppenheimer, a rich textile importer and Ella Friedman, a painter by profession. [15], After being branded a Communist, Oppenheimer could no longer find work in physics in the US, and he was also denied a passport, preventing him from working abroad. At the time, Spartacus Educational reported, Robert himself was in a relationship with a woman named Jean Tatlock. His parents, Julius S. Oppenheimer, a wealthy German textile merchant, and Ella Friedman, an artist, were of Jewish descent but did not observe the religious traditions. , "Dementia praecox" - . 2,200 . Whatever the case, Robert's affair with her came to light during his 1954 security hearing. [8], , . The Oppenheimers, through their company Shangani Holistic, turned to the courts after a South African firm Pearline Mineral Exploration started conducting an aerial geophysical survey of the property. J. Robert Oppenheimer was born in April 1904 to an upper-class family in New York city. Frank eventually followed the advice of his older brother Robert, and became a professional physicist. Oppenheimers family was part of the Ethical Culture Society, an outgrowth of American Reform Judaism founded and led at the time by Dr. Felix Adler. , - . "Her only interest was the Kennedy family," Oppenheimer told People magazine in 1991. Shirley Streshinsky, co-author of "An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women in Robert Oppenheimer's Life," revealed that Kitty "didn't like the duties of a wife." , , . [7] , . The remainder of his high school education was completed at Fieldston School in Riverdale; a school operated by the Ethical Culture Society.[8]. J. Robert Oppenheimer was born in New York on April 22, 1904. Husband of Katherine (Puening) Oppenheimer married 1 Nov 1940 in United States. [6]:138139 These models would later become the core of the first exhibits at the Exploratorium. , , .[16]. Robert Oppenheimer Character Analysis. , . Early Life Peter was born in 1941 in California, and moved with his parents to Los Alamos when his father became the Director of the Manhattan Project. -16 1945, - - . Omissions? The First Atomic Bombs Tested and Used During World War II, https://www.britannica.com/biography/J-Robert-Oppenheimer, Atomic Heritage Foundation - J. Robert Oppenheimer, Famous Scientists - Biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Institute for Advanced Study - J. Robert Oppenheimer: Life, Work, and Legacy, J. Robert Oppenheimer - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), J. Robert Oppenheimer - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leslie R. Groves. Robert Julius OPPENHEIMER was born on month day 1904, at birth place, New York, to Julius Seligmann OPPENHEIMER and Ella OPPENHEIMER (born FRIEDMANN). In the 1920s the new quantum and relativity theories were engaging the attention of science. Nine years later, President John F. Kennedy awarded (and Lyndon B. Johnson presented) him with the Enrico Fermi Award as a gesture of political rehabilitation. The nephew was named Sir Michael Oppenheimer, so Sir Ernest's wife, who was Miss Caroline Harvey, has been Lady Oppenheimer twice. ET. In 1969, Oppenheimer founded the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and he served as its first director until his death in 1985. 1965, :[14]. Husband of Katherine Oppenheimer Technically De Beers already existed when Ernest Opprnheimer took the reigns. -6 1945, 08:14 . [12] This organization promoted international peaceful control of nuclear power. At Cavendish, Oppenheimer realized that his talent was for theoretical, not experimental, physics, and he accepted an invitation from Max Born, director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the University of Gttingen, to study with him in Germany. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}8 Black Medical Pioneers You Should Know, Biography: You Need to Know: Fazlur Rahman Khan, Biography: You Need to Know: Tony Hansberry, Biography: You Need to Know: Bessie Blount Griffin, Biography: You Need to Know: Frances Glessner Lee, Biography: You Need To Know: Rachel Carson. [4], , . [16], Four years later, in 1969, the Exploratorium opened its doors for the first timean interactive museum of art, science, and human perception based on the philosophy that science should be fun and accessible for people of all ages, set within the north wing of the stately Palace of Fine Arts of San Francisco. J. Robert Oppenheimer was the son of Julius Oppenheimer, who had immigrated as a young man from Germany. Although his fathers death in 1937 left Oppenheimer a fortune that allowed him to subsidize anti-Fascist organizations, the tragic suffering inflicted by Joseph Stalin on Russian scientists led him to withdraw his associations with the Communist Partyin fact, he never joined the partyand at the same time reinforced in him a liberal democratic philosophy. In fact, she was married to her third husband, Richard Harrison, when she met her future fourth husband. 24 1967 JEWISH CHRONICLE February 24 1967. In 1943 he chose the plateau of Los Alamos, near Santa Fe, New Mexico. 1925, , , , . Following the 1939 invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Oppenheimer was selected to administer a laboratory to carry out the Manhattan Project, a U.S. Army experiment aimed at harnessing atomic energy for military purposes. After the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, various scientists including Albert Einstein warned the US government of the consequences if the Nazis were to build the first nuclear bomb. . Max Born invited Oppenheimer to University of Gttingen, where he met other prominent physicists, such as Niels Bohr and P.A.M. Dirac, and where, in 1927, he received his doctorate. , . Interviewed by director Jon Else, Frank Oppenheimer appears throughout The Day After Trinity (1980), an Academy Award-nominated documentary about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the building of the atomic bomb. [8] Afterwards, Frank studied for a year and a half at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England, where he also earned a pilot's license. At the time, Spartacus Educational reported, Robert himself was in a relationship with a. When asked why he continued to see Tatlock, he replied, "Because she was still in love with me" (per The Atlantic). Son of Julius Seligmann Oppenheimer and Ella Oppenheimer All Collections ; . 19 Obituary DR. Katherine Silbert (born Oppenheimer), Peter Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer, George Seligman Oppenheimer, Elsie H. Pecorine (born Palm), Oppenheimer, Lewis Frank Oppenheimer, Louis Oppenheimer, and, Julius S. Oppenheimer, Ella Oppenheimer (born Friedman), Katherine Puening Oppenheimer (born Harrison), Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer, Julius Seligmann Oppenheimer, Ella Oppenheimer (born Friedmann), 1910 - Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York, USA. Photo: Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: J. Robert Oppenheimer, Birth Year: 1904, Birth date: April 22, 1904, Birth State: New York, Birth City: New York, Birth Country: United States. - . On Dec. 23, 1953, J. Robert Oppenheimer received a letter informing him . In addition, he trained a whole generation of U.S. physicists, who were greatly affected by his qualities of leadership and intellectual independence. After graduating in 1925, he sailed for England to do research at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, which, under the leadership of Lord Ernest Rutherford, had an international reputation for its pioneering studies on atomic structure. Last edited on 27 November 2022, at 04:40, University of California Radiation Laboratory, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Along with Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, and Joseph Rotblat he established the World Academy of Art and Science in 1960. J. Robert Oppenheimer is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for leading the Manhattan Project, the program that developed the first nuclear weapon during World War II. OPPENHEIMER Genealogy. However, by 1949, Oppenheimer was against the creation of a hydrogen bomb (via Britannica). On December 21, 1953, he was notified of a military security report unfavourable to him and was accused of having associated with communists in the past, of delaying the naming of Soviet agents, and of opposing the building of the hydrogen bomb. , . According to the Atomic Heritage Foundation, Kitty was a botanist who had already been married three times before marrying Robert. John G. Peters served in the 393rd Bombardment Squadron. At Berkeley, he became good friends with Ernest Lawrence, one of the worlds top experimental physicists and the inventor of the cyclotron. , , . [6]:294 Oppenheimer still remained active, appearing at the Exploratorium nearly daily until the last few weeks of his life. In American Prometheus, Bird and Sherwin paint a rich portrait of Oppenheimer's early years. Robert stayed at a dude ranch 25 miles northeast of Santa Fe with high school teacher Herbert Smith as a companion and mentor. Oppenheimer earned his PhD and his highly prestigious job in spite of his communist affiliations and (even more strikingly) having once been accused of trying to poison his professor. [6]:104115[16][17][18]. A year later, he teamed with Max Born at Gttingen University, where he met a host of prominent physicists, including Niels Bohr. PRINCETON, N. J., Feb. 18--Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the nuclear physicist, died here tonight at the age of 62. Oppenheimer was a name for someone who lived in the region of Oppenheim in the town of Hesse, between Mainz and Worms. [6]:30[7], Frank began his schooling at the Ethical Culture School, where he attended until seventh grade. For 85 years until 2012, the Oppenheimer family occupied a controlling spot in the world's. PULITZER PRIZE WINNER The definitive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war, and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress. Julius Robert (J. Robert) Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer's papers and archives were transferred to the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. Nearly 70 years after having his security clearance revoked by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) due to suspicion of being a Soviet spy, Manhattan Project physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer has. In 1947 he became head of the Institute for Advanced Study and served from 1947 until 1952 as chairman of the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission, which in October 1949 opposed development of the hydrogen bomb. He died at home in Sausalito, California, on February 3, 1985. [citation needed] There were no admission charges at the Exploratorium for a full twelve years after its opening. [21] The first exhibits in the Exploratorium were constructed with the aid of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) and the Ames Research Center (NASA). After graduating from Harvard University, Oppenheimer sailed to England and enrolled at the University of Cambridge, where he began his atomic research at the Cavendish Laboratory in 1925. Per Biography, Oppenheimer was head of the Los Alamos laboratory in New Mexico and became known as the "father of the atomic bomb." Born in 1904 to wealthy, cultured, German-Jewish New York parents, he was a precocious, though sickly, child who at age nine challenged an older cousin, "Ask me a question in Latin and I will answer you in Greek." [%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%94 ][3][15], , , . , - - - , . (Julius) Robert Oppenheimer was born in New York City on April 22, 1904. . Many believe that she decided to end her life after suffering from depression. In Peter Goodchild's J. Robert Oppenheimer: Shatterer of Worlds, it is said that Robert's father, Julius, added the empty initial to give Robert's name additional distinction, but Goodchild's book has no footnotes, so the source of this assertion is unclear. The Biden administration has overturned a 1954 decision that revoked the security clearance of J Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist credited as a key architect of the atomic bomb who was caught. J. Robert Oppenheimer, in full Julius Robert Oppenheimer, (born April 22, 1904, New York, New York, U.S.died February 18, 1967, Princeton, New Jersey), 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 With the family's fortune eaten away by Germany's postwar inflation, they were compelled to take on boarders. With his students he also made important contributions to the modern theory of neutron stars and black holes, as well as to quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and the interactions of cosmic rays. They had two children, Peter and Toni. , , 1926 , . Julius Robert Oppenheimer was born in New York City on April 22, 1904. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945, in the Trinity test in New Mexico; Oppenheimer later remarked that it brought to mind words from the Bhagavad Gita: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.". [10], Frank Oppenheimer received his PhD in 1939 and completed two postdoctoral years at Stanford. According to the Institute for Advanced Study, the project utilized various labs across the United States. [6]:185 He personally recruited artist Bob Miller to create Sun Painting, the first major art installation at the Exploratorium. In 1936 he sided with the republic during the Civil War in Spain, where he became acquainted with Communist students. [19], In 1965, Oppenheimer was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to study the history of physics and to conduct bubble chamber research at University College, London, where he was exposed to European science museums for the first time. His academic prowess was apparent very early on, and by the age of 10, Oppenheimer was studying minerals, physics, and chemistry. At the time, Spartacus Educational reported, Robert himself was in a relationship with a woman named Jean Tatlock. Before the committee, he testified that he and his wife had been members of the Communist Party for about three and a half years. UAAKON Chevalier says that J. Feb 25 1967 - Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, Feb 18 1967 - Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA, Julius Seligman Oppenheimer, Ella Oppenheimer (born Friedman), Walter Julius Oppenheimer, George Seligmann Oppenheimer, Julius Oppenheimer, Ella Oppenheimer (born Freidman), Apr 22 1904 - New York City, New York, United States, Cremated, (ashes scattered over the Virgin Islands), ANU Museum of the Jewish People (formerly Beit Hatfutsot) Exhibit Project. Nevertheless, he was stripped of his security clearance (via Britannica). [20] The San Francisco Foundation gave a $50,000 grant to Oppenheimer to open the 90,000-square-foot (8,400m2) facility. [8], During World War II, Frank's older brother Robert became the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, part of the Manhattan Project, the Allied effort to produce the first atomic weapons. That mass was equivalent to energy and that matter could be both wavelike and corpuscular carried implications seen only dimly at that time. He received his doctorate at Gttingen while also developing what became known as the "Born-Oppenheimer method," an important contribution to quantum molecular theory. He studied at Alcuin Preparatory School initially and in 1911, he enrolled at the Ethical Culture Society School. Robert Oppenheimer was a gifted scientist with the ability to grasp complex theorems from an early age. Copyright 2022 by the Atomic Heritage Foundation. , . He attended the New York School for Ethical Culture, where he gained a lifelong love for art, literature, philosophy, and the classics. The Oppenheimer family had an impressive art collection, including works by Picasso, Vuillard, and three Van Gogh originals. Oppenheimer was made the worldwide symbol of the scientist, who, while trying to resolve the moral problems that arise from scientific discovery, becomes the victim of a witch hunt. J. Robert Oppenheimer was born into a Jewish family in New York City on April 22, 1904, to Ella (ne Friedman), a painter, and Julius Seligmann Oppenheimer, a wealthy textile importer. He graduated as valedictorian of his high school class in 1921, but fell ill with a near-fatal case of dysentery and was forced to postpone enrolling at Harvard. [12] In 1945 he was sent to the enrichment facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to help monitor the equipment. The Secretary of Energy on Friday nullified a 1954 decision to revoke the security clearance of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a top government scientist who led the making of . Throughout the previous year he had been doing research on fast neutrons, calculating how much material might be needed for a bomb and how efficient it might be. [1] . [6], Oppenheimer said he and his wife had joined at a time when they sought answers to the high unemployment experienced in the United States during the later part of the Great Depression. 1920 United States Federal Census. The project was initially allotted $6,000 by the U.S. government, but by the time the work culminated in 1945, the budget had grown to $2 billion. Inside Robert And Katherine Oppenheimer's Troubled Family Life, An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women in Robert Oppenheimer's Life, another post at the Atomic Heritage Foundation. He also studied the flute under nationally known teacher George Barrera, becoming competent enough at the instrument to consider a career as a flautist. He is often known as the father of the atomic bomb.. Oppenheimer had made political enemies by arguing against the development of the hydrogen bomb, and revoking his clearance stripped him of political power. As time has. Although the scientist lived the majority of his life in New York, California, and New Jersey, the Oppenheimer family leased and subsequently purchased a second home in the northern Pecos Valley during the late 1920s. , . The Oppenheimer were a wealthy family; the father was a textile importer while the mother was described as a near-professional artist. What did J. Robert Oppenheimer do in the Manhattan Project? , , . Family Member of Manhattan Project Veteran Peter Oppenheimer is a carpenter, and the son of J. Robert Oppenheimer. If no match exists, you will be prompted to add a new person to the tree. Dr. Adler also founded the Ethical Culture School, where Oppenheimer enrolled in September 1911. , , 1908, . J. Robert Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904 to an affluent, Jewish New York family, and he grew up in a world of moderate luxury on the Upper West Side. , " . J. Robert Oppenheimer (April 22, 1904-February 18, 1967) was a physicist and the director of the Manhattan Project, the United States' effort during World War II to create an atomic bomb. 1. His responsibilities included the instrumentation for the Trinity test site, in New Mexico. J. Robert Oppenheimer, in full Julius Robert Oppenheimer, (born April 22, 1904, New York, New York, U.S.died February 18, 1967, Princeton, New Jersey), American theoretical physicist and science administrator, noted as director of the Los Alamos Laboratory (194345) during development of the atomic bomb and as director of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (194766). All rights reserved. Julius Robert Oppenheimer ( 22 April 1904 - 18 February 1967) was an American physicist and the scientific director of the Manhattan Project . About 502 OPPENHEIMERs. During his undergraduate studies at Harvard University, Oppenheimer excelled in Latin, Greek, physics, and chemistry, published poetry, and studied Eastern philosophy. He was eventually called to a security hearing to be questioned about his possible involvement with the Soviets. [11] , . , ' . With Hitler's rise to power, Biography explains, Oppenheimer and his fellow scientists feared that Germany would create a nuclear bomb. His mother, on the other hand, was painter. Less than three years after Groves selected Oppenheimer to direct weapons development, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. Oppenheimer considered the Exploratorium and its educational programs to be his most important accomplishment and legacy. 106 Copy quote. Philosophy, chemistry, English you name it, he aced it. Oppenheimers old Communist sympathies were dredged up and his clearance was revoked a mere 32 hours before it was set to expire. [16], The Frank Oppenheimer Fellowship Fund was created at the Exploratorium to provide for the exchange of science museum personnel both nationally and internationally.[2]. Kitty herself also had communist ties. , .[13]. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, Apr 22 1904 - Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States, Feb 18 1967 - Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States, Julius Seligman Oppenheimer, Ella F Oppenheimer (born Friedman), Robert J. Oppenheimer, Louis Oppenheimer, Frank Friedman Oppenheimer, Katherine (Kitty) Dallet, Jr (born Puening). . Robert's claim that the 'J' stood "for nothing" is taken from an autobiographical interview conducted by Thomas S. Kuhn on November 18, 1963, which currently resides in the Archive for the History of Quantum Physics. Robert Oppenheimer family collection, 1799-1977. He loved reading classic texts in their original tongues, which he often learned lickety-split. The leading physicist on the atomic bomb project (part of the Manhattan Project). Instead of tour guides, fifteen to twenty college students or secondary students, as well as some adults, were employed as "explainers". His father, Julius, had fled Jewish persecution in Europe as a teenager. The first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945, in the Trinity test in New Mexico; Oppenheimer remarked later that it brought to mind words from the Bhagavad Gita: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. [5] , 1922 , . If you don't name it, he probably still aced it. Brother of Frank Friedman Oppenheimer and Oppenheimer, Julius Robert Oppenheimer [see note] was an American theoretical physicist and professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. Born on April 22, 1904, Oppenheimer was in a class of his own academically. His mother, Ella Freedman, was a gifted painter. 1 The fither was a successful businessman, and the family was well-to-do. What is J. Robert Oppenheimer famous for? . Born Katherine Puening Harrison, she has been described as a free-spirit and a nonconforming woman (via "Oppenheimer: a Life"). Julius' father, Benjamin Pinhas Oppenheimer, was an untutored peasant and. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. At the Cavendish, Oppenheimer had the opportunity to collaborate with the British scientific community in its efforts to advance the cause of atomic research. Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904. -50, , . National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) was an American theoretical physicist. , , , . As director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, Oppenheimer proved to be an extraordinary choice. He was eventually awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop new pedagogical methods, which resulted in a "Library of Experiments"nearly one hundred models of classical laboratory experiments which could be used in aiding the teaching of physics to elementary and high school children. After short visits at science centres in Leiden and Zrich, he returned to the United States to teach physics at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology. In fact, she was married to her third husband, Richard Harrison, when she met her future fourth husband. His father, Julius Oppenheimer, was a German immigrant who worked in his family's textile importing business. The museum exposed people to science by means of human perception. Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. He continued lecturing around the world, and was awarded the Enrico Fermi Award in 1963. Residence. He also knew how to throw a great party! [12], , . In 1974, Oppenheimer established an ongoing artist-in-residence program at the Exploratorium, regularly bringing in a succession of emerging and established artists working at the boundaries of art and science. [6] 20 , , . I also want to add in an. "11401 County Road 326 Pagosa Springs, Colorado, 81147", "The Exploratorium: A Playful Museum Combines Perception and Art in Science Education", "Guide to the Frank Oppenheimer Papers, 19021985", "Guide to the Exploratorium Records, 1957-[ongoing]", Oral history interview transcript with Frank Oppenheimer on 9 February 1973, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, Frank Oppenheimer site at the Exploratorium, including an archive of selected papers, Annotated bibliography for Frank Oppenheimer from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues, Frank Oppenheimer Papers, 19461959, University of Minnesota Archives, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_Oppenheimer&oldid=1124066725, Kirkwood Award for Distinguished Service, Caltech, This page was last edited on 27 November 2022, at 04:40. Beginning in 1947, Oppenheimer directed the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, where he convened great scientists. Family Trees. While Ella was from the United States, Julius emigrated to New York. 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. , , 1949, , ( " "). ", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert_Oppenheimer, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2216, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Oppenheimer.html, http://www.nndb.com/people/808/000047667/, 1 2 2.1 2.2 ' 2.3 2.4 3 3.1 3.2 4 5 -50 -60 6 7 8 -22 1904, ' , 1888, , , . Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [6]:180 Another early work was the Tactile Dome (1971), by August Coppola (father of actor Nicolas Cage and brother of the film director Francis Coppola). Since quantum theory had been proposed only a few years before, the university post provided him an excellent opportunity to devote his entire career to the exploration and development of its full significance. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy announced Oppenheimer would receive the Enrico Fermi Award. Historians Alice Kimball Smith and Charles Weiner sum up the general historical opinion in their volume Robert Oppenheimer: Letters and recollections, on page 1: "Whether the 'J' in Robert's name stood for Julius or, as Robert himself once said, 'for nothing' may never be fully resolved.