The tale of splitting the atom isn't just about America—it's a journey from New Zealand to Manchester, led by the brilliant mind of Ernest Rutherford, the true father of nuclear physics.

The mayor of a New Zealand city has rubbished an eyebrow-raising claim made by President Donald Trump during his wild inauguration speech.

U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration in an inauguration speech that Americans "split the atom" prompted vexed social media posts on Tuesday by New Zealanders, who said the achievement belonged to a pioneering scientist revered in his homeland.

Physicists from both New Zealand and Britain have been credited with splitting the atom — but there is consensus that it was not an American.

New Zealanders upset after Trump falsely claims US split the atom: ‘The one thing we did’ - Trump gets called out on social media for repeating erroneous claim during inauguration speech

A small town mayor in New Zealand has picked a nuclear fight with Donald Trump, after the freshly sworn-in US president heaped praise on American scientists for splitting the atom.

After President Trump's claim, a mayor in New Zealand pointed out that work to split the atom was actually pioneered by physicist Ernest Rutherford.

Mayor Nick Smith said that he would invite the incoming US ambassador to visit the Rutherford memorial in Nelson 'so we can keep the historic record on who split the atom first accurate'.

New Zealanders are expressing frustration after U.S. President Donald Trump credited Americans with splitting the atom in his second inaugural address——an achievement widely attributed to Ernest Rutherford, the New Zealand -born scientist hailed as the father of nuclear physics.

The Donald Trump lie that upset New Zealanders the most - Trump gets called out on social media for repeating erroneous claim during inauguration speech

Donald Trump angered New Zealanders on his first day in office when he asserted that America split the atom, something that Sir Ernest Rutherford accomplished.