Mancunians hit back as Donald Trump falsely claims the atom was split by Americans

US president Donald Trump has offended Mancunians by falsely claiming that the atom was split thanks to the United States.

In fact, a scientist from New Zealand made the discovery while working at the University of Manchester.

The official White House Twitter account tweeted a quote attributed to Mr Trump, which read: "Americans harnessed electricity, split the atom, and gave the world the telephone and the internet.

"We settled the Wild West, won two World Wars, landed American Astronauts on the Moon—and one day soon, we will plant our flag on Mars!"

His claim has angered Brits on the social media platform, who were quick to point on that the atom was split by a New Zealand scientist, who worked right here in Manchester - not in the US.

Nobel Prize winner Ernest Rutherford came to Manchester in 1907 to take up the the position of Chair of Physics at the University of Manchester.

With the assistance of team of scientists in the city, he set up a series of experiments conducted at his laboratory just off Oxford Road, which would lead to his historic findings.

A blue plaque bearing Rutherford's name can be found on the Coupland Street university building.

Ernest Rutherford and Hans Geiger in the physics laboratory at Manchester University (Manchester University archive)

The University of Manchester responded to the White House tweet with a link to its own article explaining how the city became the "birthplace of nuclear physics".

"Woah, woah, some beg to differ," the university's own Twitter account replied.

Other Twitter users enjoyed pointing out other mistakes the president had made.

"Erm, ever heard of Tim Berners-Lee, Alexander Graham Bell or Ernest Rutherford?," one of them asked.

"None of them are American and you relied on a German (Ernst Von Braun) to get you to the moon."

Another said: "Actually the atom was first split in a British university by a New Zealander.

"The electric motor and dynamo were invented in Britain.

"A Scot invented the telephone (in the US), and the WWW was invented at CERN by a Briton. But apart from those points, spot on."

Mr Trump made the false claims about the achievements during a speech at Mount Rushmore on July 4.