The Manhattan Project Trinity Test: Witnessing the Bomb in New Mexico

by Elva K. Österreich

Overview

At 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945, the Trinity Test explosion of the first atomic bomb changed the world forever. The dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan followed soon after, but it was the first blast in what is now known as White Sands Missile Range that marked the beginning of the end of World War II. In southern New Mexico, although the Manhattan Project was still top secret, everyday people witnessed the test, experienced its light and power, felt the earth move and knew the world had changed. Author Elva K. Österreich shares the stories of their experience and how their lives were transformed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439671696
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	11/02/2020
Series:	Military
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Elva K. Österreich is a journalist, photographer and editor in southern New Mexico. She has written thousands of articles about the state's history, people and environment, and she especially loves the stories she hears from the old-timers. Österreich is a member the New Mexico Humanities Council, has a poetry blog and has served as a La Leche League leader and as an organizer with the Alamogordo Speaker's Series.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction: The Balance of Truth 11

1 What Happened 19

2 The First Day 35

3 On-Site 49

4 Into a New World 69

5 In the Distance 78

6 Immediate Effects 82

7 The Ranchers 88

8 Living Downwind 98

9 Right or Wrong? 109

Bibliography 123

Index 125

About the Author 127