At 5:30 a.m. on July 16, 1945, the world was permanently altered. This was the day that the "gadget" detonated over the Jornada del Muerto Desert in New Mexico, launching the Nuclear Age.
Observers’ greatest fear concerning the Trinity Test was that nothing would happen. The reality was far different.
The bomb unleashed four times as much energy as most of the scientists expected. It was the equivalent of setting off 20,000 tons of TNT.
A 40,000-foot wide mushroom cloud rose into the sky. As far as 120 miles away, windows shattered as a result of the blast.
These three silent film reels contain footage of the blast, shown from different angles.
This second video combines images of the bomb prior to detonation, the mushroom cloud, and part of an interview with Dr. J Robert Oppenheimer on his thoughts at the time.
The Bradley Science Museum in Los Alamos explores the scientific path to creating the atomic bomb, it provides insight into what life was like for those working on the Manhattan Project, and it addresses the controversy over whether or not dropping the bomb was the only way to defeat Japan.
Address: 1350 Central Avenue, Los Alamos
The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History is deceptively large and a useful place to visit. It offers a comprehensive look at the Manhattan Project and deals with nuclear weapons and the Cold War.
Address: 601 Eubank Boulevard SE, Albuquerque
On two days each year – one in April and one in October, you can actually visit the Trinity Site and see precisely where the world changed. For more information.
Have you been to any of these places to learn about New Mexico's nuclear history?
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