New memorial marks 80 years from 1st nuclear test in US state of New Mexico
The first detonation of a nuclear weapon took place on July 16, 1945. Less than a month later, two atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
About 100 people attended the dedication ceremony on Wednesday and called for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
The state government placed the marker near the entrance of the former test site. It includes an explanation of the damage from the blast's radioactivity and conveys the experiences of affected residents.
Among the attendees at the ceremony was Melissa Parke, the Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN.
She said, "What happened here 80 years ago today also marked the beginning of an existential threat to humanity." She went on to say, "The story perpetuated by nuclear arms states that nuclear weapons keep the world safe through deterrence is a grotesque and dangerous lie."
A man from an area affected by the test said people are going to read the sign and know the full story, that it just wasn't about a test, but an atomic bomb explosion. He called nuclear proliferation "ridiculous."
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