In the 1950s, the Soviet Union obtained information about the atomic bomb with the help of two Americans. The couple, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, suffered greatly from their crime. The Rosenbergs, having committed an espionage crime against the United States, had a tremendous impact not only on the nation, but also on the world. This was due to their historic execution. Julius Rosenberg was born on May 12, 1918 in New York (Petersen 1). Julius grew up poor on the Lower East Side of New York. He was the youngest of five children and was very studious and religious. Julius aimed for rabbinical studies and attended Downtown Talmud Torah (Frost 92). Later, he studied at Steward Park High School; he graduated from high school at the age of 16. He then went to City College to major in electrical engineering in 1934. At college, he became interested in radical political ideas. He joined a branch of the Young Communist League, the Steinmetz Club. In 1940, Julius was hired as a civil engineer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps (Petersen 1). Ethel Greenglass was born on September 28, 1915. She also grew up on the Lower East Side. She attended the same schools as Julius. Ethel graduated from high school at age 15. Soon after, she landed a job as a clerk at a shipping company. She became interested in the Young Communist League, like Julius. However, Ethel loved singing and aspired to become a professional artist. She was singing at a New Year's Eve benefit when the couple met (Petersen 1). Around 1943, a Russian KGB officer named Aleksandr Feklisov asked Julius to work as a spy for the communist government of the Soviet Union (Petersen 1). . Julius agreed to spy and recruit others. “In the middle of paper, a campaign was launched to save the Rosenbergs. The couple received support from liberals and religious leaders around the world (“Rosenberg Affair” 1). The Rosenbergs' poor decision to spy for the Soviets ultimately came back to haunt them. The United States showed no mercy to the Rosenbergs and their punishment became world famous. Their execution impacted many people even to this day. Works Cited Frost, Bob. “The debate that will not die.” Biography 2.2 (1998): 92 MasterFILE Premier. Internet. January 27, 2014. Petersen, Jennifer B. “Julius and Ethel Rosenberg” Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (2005): 1 MasterFILE Premier. Internet. January 26, 2014. “Rosenberg Case” Columbia Electronic Encyclopaedia, 6th edition, (2013): 1 MasterFILE Premier. Internet. January 26, 2014. Simkin, John. “Rosenberg Trial” Rosenberg Trial. Educational Spartacus, (2013): Web. January 26. 2014.