How we cite our quotes: Chapter name.(Chapter Number).Paragraph
Quote #4
"For some time, we had known that we were about to unlock a giant," remembered Eugene Wigner. "Still, we could not escape an eerie feeling when we knew we had actually done it." (Chicago Pile.(13).39)
Sometimes knowing something and then finally doing it can be completely different. Like, you know running a marathon will be hard, but then while you are running the marathon you probably think it's the hardest thing ever—maybe even impossible hard. Same phenomenon here: they knew they were creating something that was powerful beyond anything they'd ever seen, but then when they actually saw it in action they were awestruck.
Quote #5
Enrico Fermi's Chicago experiment had proved that it was possible to spark a chain reaction in uranium. Fermi's uranium and graphite pile had released energy, but only a tiny amount, and slowly. The problem facing Oppenheimer's team was to figure out how to create a much faster chain reaction that would release so much energy it would cause a massive explosion—and the whole thing had to be light enough to travel by airplane. (The Gadget.(17).9)
Doing all that is no small feat. And remember: this was all before the days of computers. They had to calculate all of this using scientific equations and pencils. Can you imagine?
Quote #6
Everyone worked day and night, Monday through Saturday. Oppenheimer insisted people take Sundays off to rest and recharge. Scientists fished for trout in nearby streams, or climbed mountains and discussed physics while watching the sunrise. "This is how many discoveries were made," one scientist said. (Secret Cities.(21).13)
Occasionally it really pays to give yourself a break. These scientists were wracking their brains trying to figure out some pretty complicated science stuff, so a day off was probably much appreciated. Oppenheimer was a smart dude, knowing that people couldn't go at full speed 24/7. Plus, sometimes a break is all you need to see things from a different angle to solve the problem.