The Manhattan Project, undertaken during World War II, was a secret U.S. government research program aimed at developing atomic bombs. Initiated in response to fears that Nazi Germany might develop nuclear weapons, it involved collaboration among leading scientists, including J. Robert Oppenheimer. The project successfully created two types of atomic bombs, which were later dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, contributing to Japan's surrender and the end of the war. The significance of the Manhattan Project extended beyond the war, marking the beginning of the atomic age and raising ethical questions about nuclear weapons that continue to impact global politics today.