Trinity Nuclear Test Site

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

"Now I am become death, the shatterer of worlds." Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the Manhattan Project, uttered these words as he witnessed the power of the first atomic bomb explosion at the Trinity Nuclear Test Site in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Following this historic explosion on July 16, 1945, the world entered the nuclear age as the top secret Manhattan Project came to a successful conclusion after employing over 130,000 Americans and using over two billion dollars to develop this atomic weapon.


Images

  • The obelisk marks the exact location where the first atomic bomb exploded. The inscription reads, "The Trinity Site Where the World's First Nuclear Device was Exploded on July 16, 1945, Erected 1965." (Courtesy of flickr.com)
    The obelisk marks the exact location where the first atomic bomb exploded. The inscription reads, "The Trinity Site Where the World's First Nuclear Device was Exploded on July 16, 1945, Erected 1965." (Courtesy of flickr.com)
  • This is the only known photograph of the explosion in color. Following this explosion, the world entered the uncharted waters of the nuclear age. (Courtesy of Jack W. Aeby)
    This is the only known photograph of the explosion in color. Following this explosion, the world entered the uncharted waters of the nuclear age. (Courtesy of Jack W. Aeby)
  • The explosion caused the sand to turn to glass. The darker area of the photo is the crater that resulted from the explosion. (Courtesy of wikipedia.org)
    The explosion caused the sand to turn to glass. The darker area of the photo is the crater that resulted from the explosion. (Courtesy of wikipedia.org)
  • Unlike the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this bomb was dropped from a tower not an airplane. The extreme heat from the bomb caused the steel tower to completely disintegrate. (Courtesy of wikipedia.org)
    Unlike the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this bomb was dropped from a tower not an airplane. The extreme heat from the bomb caused the steel tower to completely disintegrate. (Courtesy of wikipedia.org)

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

        After years of experimentation and development, the Manhattan Project had developed a weapon that could possibly change warfare forever. While the scientists working on this project had conducted numerous studies about the possible effects of detonating a nuclear weapon, uncertainties still plagued the Manhattan Project. For instance, some scientists were hesitant to test the bomb because they feared that it could obliterate the stratosphere and shatter the Earth's crust. 

        During the early morning hours of July 16, 1945, the scientists finally prepared to test the weapon that they had developed. They suspended the bomb from a 100-foot-high steel tower, where they finished constructing the final pieces of the weapon. In fact, Robert Oppenheimer climbed to the top of the tower to assemble the weapon and give it one last inspection. After carefully inspecting the bomb, Oppenheimer and his nervous colleagues retreated to a safety shelter five miles from the bomb. The mood inside the shelter was extremely tense as years of work depended on one, pivotal moment. Brigadier General Thomas Farrell stated, "Even some of the atheists present were praying that 'the shot' would be successful." As Oppenheimer anxiously waited, he gripped a post to steady himself. 

        At 5:30 a.m., a bright light filled the sky and a shock wave ripped through the desert as the world entered the nuclear age. Cheers filled the safety shelter as the scientists and those involved in the Manhattan Project celebrated the successful detonation. Brigadier General Thomas Farrell reported that Oppenheimer finally relaxed as his colleagues embraced him with hugs.  

        Following the celebration, the scientists conducted further studies into the results of the explosion. Observers reported that the atomic bomb released a force equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT. Additionally, the extreme heat from the explosion melted the steel tower that held the bomb, and the sand surrounding the bomb turned to glass. Also, the bomb lit the sky over one hundred miles from the point of detonation. Even though the bomb was unlike anything that the world had ever seen, its power was even greater than what the scientists had estimated. 

        Today, an obelisk commemorates this historic event in the desert outside of Alamogordo, New Mexico. While there is not a large statue or monument, this obelisk marks one of the greatest turning points in warfare and in science.

Sources

1. "The Trinity Test." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 14 Sept. 2015. (http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/trinity-test) 2. "History." History. White Sands Military Range, 12 Jan. 2015. Web. 14 Sept. 2015. (http://www.wsmr.army.mil/PAO/Trinity/Pages/TrinitySiteHistoryAcopyofthebrochuregiventositevisitors.aspx) 3. Miscamble, Wilson D. "Potsdam, the Trinity Test, and Atomic Diplomacy." The Most Controversial Decision: Truman, The Atomic Bombs, and The Defeat of Japan. New York: Cambridge UP, 2011. 60-64. Print.

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