OPPENHEIMER EM BELO HORIZONTE: UM RESGATE HISTÓRICO

OPPENHEIMER IN BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL: A HISTORICAL RESCUE. Julius Robert Oppenheimer was a man of humanistic training, but at the same time an individual of the exact sciences. Due to his peculiar characteristics, he faced important challenges from both a scientific and political point of views. The scientist led the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, USA. Due to the repercussions that the Manhattan Project caused in the global nuclear scenario, fundamentally by making possible the creation of the first atomic bombs, several institutions sought the collaboration of the scientist. The work presented here is specifically related to the visit of Oppenheimer to Belo Horizonte on his first scientific trip to Brazil, which took place between June and August 1953. The visit of the scientist contributed to broader discussions and initiatives related to nuclear research and development in the state of Minas Gerais and in Brazil.