August “Gus” Knuth

MillwrightChicago, IL

Manhattan Project VeteranProject Worker/Staff

Listen to August “Gus” Knuth’s Oral History on Voices of the Manhattan Project

August “Gus” Knuth was a millwright and carpenter who helped construct Chicago Pile-1. He was present on December 2, 1942 when the pile went critical in the first self-sustaining chain reaction in history.

Related Profiles

John Geffel Sr.

Oak Ridge, TN

John Geffel worked at Oak Ridge as the Prime Building Contractor for Construction of the Oak Ridge facilities.

Sonia W. Katz

Chicago, IL

Russell McNutt

Manhattan, NY

Russell McNutt (1914-2008) was a civil engineer for the Kellex Corporation and Soviet atomic spy. Both studying engineering in New York, McNutt befriended Julius Rosenberg, one of the most well-known Soviet spies and recruiters.

Donald F. Swinehart

Los Alamos, NM

Donald Swinehart (1917-1993) was an American chemist. Swinehart was born in Strasburg, Ohio. He received a B.