'Oppenheimer': 5 facts for history teachers and students to know
One historic detail that "Oppenheimer" seems to expect people to know is the Einstein–Szilard letter, written in 1939 by scientist Leo Szilard and signed by his more famous friend. The letter informed President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the potential for atomic bombs using the new discovery of nuclear fission.
The film's characters reference it offhandedly as "Einstein's letter" without further detail, and knowing about it and its impact ahead of time is helpful to understanding an early scene in the film.
2. Einstein and Oppenheimer's relationship is the biggest fictionalization in "Oppenheimer"
The two scenes in "Oppenheimer" depicting meetings between Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and Einstein (Tom Conti) never happened—they are both inventions of Nolan's screenplay. In the film, Oppenheimer goes to Einstein for advice after Edward Teller (Benny Safdie) calculates a possibility that the bomb might destroy all life through a chain reaction igniting the Earth's atmosphere.
In real life, Oppenheimer discussed the possibility with Arthur Compton. “I shifted that to Einstein,” Nolan said to The New York Times, because “Einstein is the personality people know in the audience.” Oppenheimer and Einstein did not become close until after the war, when they worked together at the Institute for Advanced Study. Einstein and Oppenheimer's conversation in the final scene of the film is also invented.
While there's no proof that they did not have a private discussion similar to the one in "Oppenheimer," there is also no evidence that they did.
3. Oppenheimer and Einstein were both geniuses of physics, but geniuses of different generations.
Despite their shared fame and friendship, Oppenheimer and Einstein fundamentally disagreed about the nature of the universe. Oppenheimer was on the cutting edge with the study of quantum mechanics, and although Einstein's early papers were fundamental to quantum mechanics, Einstein opposed Oppenheimer and others extending his theories to suggest the universe was based on randomness and uncertainty.
God "does not throw dice," Einstein insisted. He thought that a deeper understanding was still to be reached. While it does not go into detail, "Oppenheimer" touches on this fascinating aspect of scientific history.
4. The Oppenheimer security hearings did not impact the career of Lewis Strauss as much as implied in the film
Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) is Oppenheimer's primary antagonist, and a significant portion of the film depicts his attempts to be confirmed as Secretary of Commerce in a congressional hearing. There, his previous actions to defame Oppenheimer (whose security clearance was revoked amid accusations of being a communist sympathizer) are the central topic of debate.
Although Strauss’s relationship with Oppenheimer certainly came up in the congressional hearing, he was also accused of making ambiguous or false statements, and his feud with senator Clint Anderson played a major role. These other factors are not shown in the film.
5. Despite some creative license, the film includes many accurate historic details
"Oppenheimer" is more accurate than many "true story" movies about historic events. For instance, Strauss's statement that Oppenheimer never publicly expressed regret over the bombings is accurate, as is President Harry Truman calling Oppenheimer a "crybaby" for his remorse over the bombing.
Minor but fascinating details — such as the delay of the Trinity test by a thunderstorm, and Richard Feynman watching the test through a windshield to protect himself from ultraviolet light — are also true to known historical fact.
For more, check out this PBS NewsHour video here.
Benjamin Thernstrom, a senior at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Virginia, is an intern with PBS NewsHour Classroom. You can read his movie reviews on LetterBoxd.
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