The Szilárd Petition refers to a letter drafted by physicist Leo Szilárd in 1939, which urged President Franklin D. Roosevelt to initiate research into the potential development of atomic weapons. This petition was significant because it highlighted the feasibility of nuclear chain reactions and the potential for harnessing nuclear energy for military purposes. Szilárd, along with several prominent scientists, was motivated by the fear that Nazi Germany could develop atomic weapons first.
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