The main objective of the Manhattan Project during World War II was to develop atomic weapons before Nazi Germany could do so. Established in 1942, this secret U.S. government research initiative was driven by the fear that Germany was conducting its nuclear weapons program. Scientists and engineers, including prominent figures like J. Robert Oppenheimer, worked vigorously to create the first atomic bomb. The project culminated in the successful detonation of the first atomic bomb in July 1945 in New Mexico, followed by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August. The project fundamentally changed warfare and international relations, signaling the onset of the nuclear age.