Einstein′s equation, E= mc2 , which relates mass to energy, has been known since 1905. But its important to the human race was not realized until 1939. In December of 1938 German scientists showed that, under appropriate conditions, uranium atoms would split into two approximately equal parts with the accompanying release of large amount of energy.爱因斯坦的质能方程在1905年就已发表,但它对人类的重要性到1939年才被认识到.1938年12月,德国科学家证实,在合适的条件下,铀原子可分裂成近似相等的两部分,拌随着释放大量的能量.