1965 TV Broadcast Quotes
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Source: 1965 TV Broadcast
Speaker: J. Robert Oppenheimer
"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and, to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.
Context
This line was spoken by J. Robert Oppenheimer on a TV broadcast as he reflected on witnessing the first test of the atomic bomb in 1945 (1965).
J. Robert Oppenheimer was an American physicist who most people probably know as the Father of the Atomic Bomb. Geez. We're not sure you'd want to claim responsibility for raising a kid like that.
In 1942, Oppenheimer took charge of the famous Manhattan Project and oversaw the creation of a nuclear weapon that was later dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan during World War II, killing at least 100,000 people in the process. Wow. No wonder death was on his mind.
Oppenheimer recalled that when he first saw the atomic bomb tested in the desert of New Mexico on July 16, 1945, his mood was grim. Sure, he had achieved a big new discovery through years of hard work (yay, science!), but he couldn't help but reflect on the fact that all his knowledge and ingenuity were going to be used to kill people.
Years later, Oppenheimer reflected on this moment and shared his thoughts with the world. It's also worth noting that Oppenheimer wasn't super psyched about the way his creation was used in the war, so it's no surprise that he'd look back and remember this moment as one of power and achievement, mixed with a whole lot of sadness. Yup, the atomic bomb is bittersweet to say the least.
Where you've heard it
If you hear this quote, it's probably in a pretty grim context. Let's hope that's not something you come across every day.
Additional Notable References:
- This first part of this saying appears on Animal Mother's helmet in Full Metal Jacket.
- In the teaser trailer for 2014's Godzilla, Oppenheimer's words are used over the action to freak you out.
- An officer in The Hunt for Red October reads this quote when he starts going a little bit unhinged.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
You might not be turning up the pretentiousness all the way to eleven with this quote, but people will surely start slowly backing away from you if you say it with a straight face.