Originally known as Clinton Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was created in 1942 as part of the Manhattan Project. During World War II, the facility researched and produced the plutonium and enriched uranium used in the Fat Man and Little Boy nuclear weapons dropped Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. When the war ended, ORNL concentrated on developing new types of atomic reactors and training nuclear engineers and scientists. As interest in atomic energy waned, ORNL expanded its programs to include environmental studies, biological studies, fusion, fossil fuel, renewable energy sources, high-energy physics, and robotics. Today, ORNL continues to form a vital part of East Tennessee's scientific and educational landscape.