The goal of the Manhattan Project during World War II was to develop the first nuclear weapons. Conceived in response to fears that Nazi Germany might create atomic bombs, the project brought together some of the greatest scientific minds, including J. Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi. The project culminated in the successful detonation of the first atomic bomb in 1945, significantly altering the course of warfare. Ultimately, the completion of the bomb resulted in its deployment on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively ending the war.