The atomic bomb was invented through the collective efforts of many scientists, but J. Robert Oppenheimer is widely recognized as the "father of the atomic bomb." He was the American theoretical physicist who served as the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II, overseeing the research and design of the first nuclear weapons under the Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer played a crucial role in leading the team and solving key scientific and logistical challenges involved in developing the bomb. Other important contributors include Leo Szilard, who initially pushed for the development of the bomb and helped initiate the Manhattan Project, and Hans Bethe, who contributed essential theoretical physics work for the bomb's design. The project was a massive collaborative effort by many top physicists and engineers under the Manhattan Project during World War II.