Nuclear Museum Logo
Nuclear Museum Logo

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

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

George Graves

Hanford, WA

George Graves was a technical advisor at Hanford, and so famous there that he inspired a poem: "We'd called up a tight design/ Hewn strictly to the longhairs' line.

Reuben Lackas

Los Alamos, NM

Nicholas Simanovich

Tinian Island

Nicholas Simanovich served in the 393rd Bombardment Squadron.

R. B. Jacobs

K-25 Plant

R. B. Jacobs worked for the Kellex Corporation at the K-25 Plant.