Birthplace of the Atomic Bomb
Author | : William S. Loring |
Publisher | : McFarland |
Total Pages | : 446 |
Release | : 2019-03-08 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781476675510 |
ISBN-13 | : 1476675511 |
Rating | : 4/5 (10 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: It was not Robert Oppenheimer who built the bomb--it was engineers, chemists and young physicists in their twenties, many not yet having earned a degree. The first atomic bomb was originally conceived as a backup device, a weapon not then currently achievable. The remote Trinity Site--the birthplace of the bomb--was used as a test range for U.S. bombers before the first nuclear device was secretly detonated. After the blast, locals speculated that the flash and rumble were caused by colliding B-29s, while Manhattan Project officials nervously measured high levels of offsite radiation. Drawing on original documents, many recently declassified, the author sheds new light on a pivotal moment in history--now approaching its 75th anniversary--told from the point of view of the men who inaugurated the Atomic Age in the New Mexico desert.