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**__ The Scenario: __** I remember that cold winter day, in a low lit room with a lingering dusty smell in the air, Einstein’s voice roared over all others with anger. Of course we were talking about the unimaginable power of nuclear fission. As I and a group of scientists gathered to debate on whether to inform the United States about the potential of nuclear weapons we (**Leo Szilard** and **Eugene Wigner**) tried to convince Einstein to write to **F.D.R** about the possibility of weapons fueled by nuclear fission. As the table rattled from Einstein's pounding fists and the air became warm with emotion, Einstein argued his point that nuclear weapons should not be made. As the argument between the great minds of the time raged on, Einstein finally made his decision. This was the beginning of a world changing decision that would dictate many other actions made by man. **__ The Man Himself: __** Albert Einstein is said to be the most renowned scientist of the 20th century, because of his creativity and his advancement in theoretical physics. Einstein was born March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany. It is said Einstein was not a great student but he did excel in science and math, he was actually was declined by the Federal Technical Institute. But in 1905 Einstein published his famous equation, E=mc^2. In 1909 Einstein’s work started to be recognized and he became a professor at the University of Zurich. Later in 1945 Einstein became retired from from advanced study and lived in Princeton (ABC-CLIO 1-2).
 * __ The War: __**On December 7th, 1941, the United States naval base, //Pearl Harbor//, was bombed by the Japanese. //After this bombing, the U.S. directly involved itself in// [[image:einsteinsdecision/File:The_USS_Arizona_(BB-39)_burning_after_the_Japanese_attack_on_Pearl_Harbor_-_NARA_195617_-_Edit.jpeg width="197" height="191" align="right" caption="The bombing of the U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor - December 7th, 1941"]] //WWII//. The Japanese, part of the Axis Powers, was sided with Italy and probably the most well known aggressor in the war, Germany. The United States was sided with the Allied Powers which included Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Because of these alliances, the U.S. had to fight on both the European (to fight Italy and Germany) and the Pacific front (to fight Japan). One of Germany's goals in the war was to utilize nuclear power. In fact, //they were the first to split a uranium atom using nuclear fission//. This alarmed many great minds in the world, but most importantly **Albert Einstein**. His actions forever impacted the way that each individual is living in today's society (ABC-CLIO 1).


 * __ Splitting of the Uranium Atom: __** //In December 1938, Germany split its first uranium atom//. This made scientists like Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner fear for the creation of a world-ending nuclear weapon. //Both physicists needed this information to go public, and warned Einstein of the possibility of the bomb//. Einstein then had to make the decision that would change the world as we know it forever: if he should persuade the president to research nuclear fission, and create the atomic bomb. The German's lab was located the village of Peenemünde, harboring hundreds of scientists to build rocket technology. //This led to the construction of the V-1 and V-2 rockets// in 1942. Germany had begun to use their rocket technology for a short time until the U.S. bombed their base in Peenemünde and "ended the nuclear threat" (Pike 1).

Einstein most likely had to make one of the hardest decisions of his life. The building of a bomb could kill hundreds upon thousands of people, but it could also save the same amount. Click the link below to choose what you would do in his position. ** __Click here to make a decision!__ **