July 16, 1945
5:29:45 am
After three years of research, experimentation, failures, successes, and preparation the world’s first nuclear device, the “Gadget,” was successfully detonated at the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range in New Mexico. This now famous birthplace of nuclear bombs lies 230 miles south of Los Alamos in the Jornada Del Muerto Desert. The location was chosen for its steady aid conditions, isolation, flat ground, and absence of humans. Only a few people were living near the site at the time and all were paid (bribed) to leave their land for the project's construction. The site's famous code name "Trinity" came from Oppenheimer's admiration for John Donne in reference to a poem.
Technicians work to tighten the suspension chains on Gadget
The scientific community's pushbackThe Manhattan Project presented a worrisome (for some) combination of deadly nuclear power and the military. Many in the scientific community opposed the creation of nuclear weapons and even more feared the use of them. While many world-leading scientists participated in the project, trepidation and uncertainty tainted the excitement of scientific discover.
Hungarian-American physicist Leo Szilard did not want to see an atomic weapon used in war. He drafted a petition for the Japanese to be warned before a bomb was used against them. The petition received many signatures from other scientists at the Oak Ridge project site but never made it to President Truman. (Gadget) The plutonium bomb tested at Trinity
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the gadgetThe nuclear device nicknamed "Gadget" was a large steel globe similar to the Fat Man bomb dropped over the city of Nagasaki. This plutonium implosion device is more powerful than the gun-like uranium bomb like the Little Boy bomb dropped over Hiroshima.
Fear of DelayThe weather of July 16th proved exactly what the meteorologist predicted: a storm. Strong wind and rain beat against Trinity tower on the night of July 15th. Many feared the test would be postponed a few days, which would have added immensely to the psychological stress of the project.
The possible delay would not only add internal stress to the project, but external stress from President Truman who was relying on word from New Mexico as he sit at the Potsdam Conference. For Truman, the results of the test would directly impact his diplomatic decisions towards the war with Japan. Meanwhile, there was also fighting on the Japanese coast that provided a glimpse into the next few months if the war didn't end. Trinity tower from which the bomb was suspended and detonated
The testThe test was originally scheduled for 4:00AM on July 16th. The storm delayed the test until 5:30AM. The closest people to the detonation spot were 10,000 yards away from the Trinity tower. These scientists and soldiers were testing the effects of radiation. The Manhattan Project leaders watched to blast from 20 miles away at Compania Hill.
At 5:29:45, Gadget detonated with 15 - 20 kilotons of force. |