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History Today: When Oppenheimer tested the first atomic bomb

History Today: When Oppenheimer tested the first atomic bomb

First Post16-07-2025
The first atomic bomb, nicknamed 'The Gadget', was launched at the Trinity test site in Alamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945. Led by physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, the launch ushered in a new era - the nuclear age. The test was part of the Manhattan Project, which brought together some of the greatest scientific minds of the time, including Enrico Fermi, Richard Feynman and Niels Bohr read more
World's first atomic bomb was detonated in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. Image Courtesy: nps.gov
The world entered the nuclear age on July 16, 1945, with the detonation of the first atomic bomb, which was tested in the New Mexico desert. Code-named Trinity, it was part of the Manhattan Project, a massive scientific and military effort by the United States to develop nuclear weapons during World War II.
If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today, will be your one-stop destination to explore key events.
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On this day in 1951, JD Salinger's iconic novel, The Catcher in the Rye, was published. The book introduced the world to the unforgettable teenage protagonist, Holden Caulfield.
Here is all that took place on this day across the world.
The first atomic bomb exploded
One of most important events of the 20th Century took place on July 16, 1945. The first atomic bomb was successfully tested by the United States in Alamogordo, New Mexico. And with this, the world entered the nuclear age.
The bomb, nicknamed 'The Gadget,' used plutonium-239 and was detonated at 5:29 am. The explosion created a blinding flash, a fireball that reached temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun and a mushroom cloud that rose over seven miles (11 kilometres) into the sky. It produced an energy equivalent of about 21 kilotons of TNT.
A man sits next to The Gadget, the nuclear device created by scientists to test the world's atomic bomb, at the Trinity Site in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Wikimedia Commons
Led by physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project brought together some of the greatest scientific minds of the time, including Enrico Fermi, Richard Feynman and Niels Bohr. The successful test confirmed that nuclear fission could be weaponised, changing the course of history.
After witnessing the explosion, Oppenheimer famously quoted the Bhagavad Gita, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.'
Just three weeks later, the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II. The Trinity test not only marked the dawn of nuclear warfare but also triggered decades of arms races, Cold War tensions and ethical debates about the use of such destructive technology.
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Catcher in the Rye published
JD Salinger's only full-length novel, The Catcher in the Rye, was published by Little, Brown and Company on this day in 1951. With the launch of the book, the world was introduced to the unforgettable teenage protagonist, Holden Caulfield.
Set in post-World War II America, the novel follows Holden over the course of three days in New York City after being expelled from prep school. Disillusioned by the 'phoniness' of the adult world and struggling with grief over the death of his younger brother, Holden narrates his journey in a raw, confessional tone that was both controversial and groundbreaking at the time.
JD Salinger's classic novel, which gave life to Holden Caulfield. File image/AP
While initial reviews were mixed, the book quickly gained popularity among young readers and became a bestseller. Its honest portrayal of teenage alienation, mental health, and rebellion struck a chord with postwar youth and sparked widespread debate.
Salinger, who became famously reclusive after the novel's publication, never allowed a film adaptation and published little afterward. Yet his lone novel became a literary icon and has sold over 65 million copies worldwide.
This Day, That Year
Chicago officially opened its Millennium Park on this day in 2004.
In 1979, Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq.
Apollo 11 lifted off from Nasa's John F Kennedy Space Center in Florida on this day in 1969.
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China was quick to test the nuclear bomb. India missed vital landmarks
China was quick to test the nuclear bomb. India missed vital landmarks

The Print

time3 hours ago

  • The Print

China was quick to test the nuclear bomb. India missed vital landmarks

Innocent, since the name didn't convey its unifocal military purpose. The world entered the nuclear age with a military purpose, and its impact on 6 and 9 August 1945 over Hiroshima and Nagasaki are historical landmarks that will not be erased anytime soon. Reams have been written about the Manhattan Project and its impact. The ghastly use of the bomb against Japan has also been dissected threadbare. What has been relegated to dusty shelves and nerdy researchers, however, is the official report on the programme. It's unambiguously called Atomic Energy for Military Purposes . The site couldn't have been chosen because of the irony in its name. In the days of Spanish expansion into the New World, this must have certainly been a deadly route to take, but that was centuries before America's wartime quest for the world's most potent weapon. And it was tested under the codename 'Trinity'. A multi-billion-dollar initiative that involved scores of enterprises, institutions, and scientists of various disciplines working under strict military supervision, it was innocently labelled 'Manhattan Project'. In an era of multiple strifes across continents, an anniversary quietly slipped under the radar of world watchers. Eighty years ago, an explosion ushered in a new age of combat, weapons, tactics, and technology. At 5:29 am local time on 16 July 1945, the United States tested the world's first atomic bomb in the desolate desert of New Mexico in an area called Jornada del Muerto—Spanish for 'Dead Man's Road'. Among the most extraordinary aspects of the report is that it was made public on 12 August 1945, even before the radioactive clouds had lifted from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Princeton University physicist Henry DeWolf Smyth penned the report. Within the community that contributed to making the nuclear fission device a success, the Smyth Report was the working paper on how the Manhattan Project was to be discussed. It is patently clear that the US was working on a long-term nuclear perspective. Also read: What India can learn from Israel about atmanirbharta in defence India's nuclear age The American military approach is a far cry from how India viewed the arrival of the nuclear era. Although its nuclear journey is extraordinary among formerly colonised nations, India missed vital landmarks along the way. In July 1945, India already had a nuclear research programme at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), established months before Washington's Trinity test. Within a year of Independence, the country also had an Atomic Energy Commission, and in less than a decade, it had commissioned Asia's first nuclear reactor, APSARA, at Trombay. India was light years ahead of any other Asian country. In the 1950s, China was largely dependent on its larger ideological ally, the Soviet Union. It entered the nuclear age with a sole purpose, based on Chairman Mao's dictum, 'Power flows from the barrel of a gun.' The simple formulation offered Beijing both short-term benefits and dividends in the long run, too. It is now obvious that the possession of weapons of mass destruction will not invite military intervention in an era of mass hypocrisy. Iran and Iraq, which didn't possess nuclear arsenals, were attacked, while North Korea, which did, wasn't. Hypocrisy and discrimination are obviously kosher in today's world order. India, however, approached the nuclear era from the perspective of 'peaceful utilisation' to harness unlimited energy and enter the club of rapidly developing countries. It officially launched a three-stage nuclear programme with an indigenous research and development project. But eight decades after TIFR initiated its research programme, India remains light years away from its early energy vision. And it has also missed the bus to power by failing to test a bomb on time. Even as it was obvious that the world was entering a discriminatory nuclear regime that no amount of third-worldism or non-alignment mantras could prevent, India persisted in keeping company with those who had nothing to lose. China, on the other hand, tested its first device in 1964, as soon as it could put the nuclear bolts together. It joined the nuclear club and subsequently became a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. By the time India tested the bomb in 1974, the doors of the nuclear elite club had closed. Manvendra Singh is a BJP leader, Editor-in-Chief of Defence & Security Alert, and Chairman, Soldier Welfare Advisory Committee, Rajasthan. He tweets @ManvendraJasol. Views are personal. (Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)

When war got weird: 10 military experiments that seem straight out of sci-fi
When war got weird: 10 military experiments that seem straight out of sci-fi

Time of India

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When war got weird: 10 military experiments that seem straight out of sci-fi

War has a funny way of turning wild ideas into serious government projects. In the chaos of World War II and the paranoia of the Cold War, military minds across the globe cooked up experiments that sound less like national defense and more like fever dreams. Think remote-viewing psychics, napalm-strapped bats, pain rays, and yes, even a surgically wired CIA spy cat, code-named 'Acoustikitty,' who was supposed to eavesdrop on Soviet agents but promptly wandered off. These weren't jokes, they were fully funded, sometimes top-secret missions with real budgets and even weirder intentions. Most of these plans fizzled out, tripped up by science, common sense, or the sheer unpredictability of, say, cats. But they offer a fascinating, and often hilarious, look into what happens when military strategy meets sci-fi imagination. So if you've ever wondered what it looks like when serious defense programs go completely off the rails, you're in the right place. Let's reimagine it. Acoustikitty : CIA tried to recruit cats, they refused to take orders In the mid-1960s, the CIA launched a curious and ambitious project known as "Acoustikitty," aiming to use wired and microphoned cats to covertly eavesdrop on open-air conversations between foreign agents and their Soviet contacts. The plan involved implanting a microphone in the cat's ear, a transmitter under its skin, and an antenna woven into its fur, allowing it to inconspicuously capture sensitive conversations in public places like parks. Despite the technology functioning as intended, the fundamental flaw lay in the cat's unpredictable behavior, true to feline nature, it couldn't be trained to follow specific commands or approach intended targets reliably. After several unsuccessful tests, the project was ultimately abandoned in 1967 without ever seeing operational use. Still, the story of Acoustikitty remains one of the most bizarre and enduring legends of Cold War espionage. Project Stargate : Psychic soldiers for intel Project Stargate was a Cold War-era US intelligence effort to explore the potential military use of psychic phenomena, especially remote viewing, the claimed ability to perceive distant or unseen targets without physical presence. Sparked by reports that the Soviet Union was heavily investing in psychic research, the CIA feared falling behind in this unconventional domain. Throughout the 1970s to 1990s, the program evolved under various codenames like SCANATE, GONDOLA WISH, and GRILL FLAME, eventually becoming known as Stargate. Supporters of Project Stargate cite cases where remote viewers allegedly identified a crashed Soviet aircraft in Africa and described hidden facilities later verified by traditional intelligence. However, critics argue these successes were overstated, noting that remote viewing often produced vague or inaccurate information and that results could not be reliably replicated under controlled conditions, casting doubt on the program's scientific validity. By 1995, it was declassified and terminated after a review found it failed to produce consistently reliable intelligence. The Gay Bomb: Chemical to 'turn' enemies In 1994, a US military lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base proposed developing a non-lethal chemical weapon designed to disrupt enemy morale by inducing homosexual behavior among troops using a potent aphrodisiac. The idea was part of a $7.5 million funding request aimed at researching chemicals that could impair enemy discipline and cohesion without causing physical harm. Although the "gay bomb" proposal was ultimately rejected, it resurfaced years later when the document was disclosed through a Freedom of Information request. 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Coldwater creek and cancer risk explained by Harvard experts: Why this small stream in the US linked to cancer
Coldwater creek and cancer risk explained by Harvard experts: Why this small stream in the US linked to cancer

Time of India

time2 days ago

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Coldwater creek and cancer risk explained by Harvard experts: Why this small stream in the US linked to cancer

Image: Istock Coldwater Creek, a stream winding through north St. Louis County, Missouri, is getting global attention. Turns out, this peaceful-looking waterway has a dark past. Due to radioactive waste dumped nearby during the World War II Manhattan Project (the one that made atomic bombs), the creek has been quietly soaking up toxic leftovers for decades. So what went wrong? Back in the 1940s, uranium waste from bomb-making was poorly stored around Lambert Airport. Over time, it made its way into Coldwater Creek—through runoff, careless dumping, and just plain neglect. That waste included stuff like thorium-230, a radioactive byproduct that sticks around forever. For most of the 20th century, the problem was ignored. Only in the 1990s did the US Army Corps of Engineers start cleaning things up, and it might not be fully done until 2038 (yes, seriously). What does Harvard say? A major Harvard study just dropped in JAMA Network Open (July 2025), and it's not good news. Researchers followed over 4,000 folks from the St. Louis Baby Tooth study—kids from the 1950s–70s who lived nearby and donated teeth to test for nuclear fallout. By linking those records to self-reported health issues, the study found that kids who grew up within 1 km of Coldwater Creek were 44% more likely to develop any kind of cancer later in life. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo But that's just the beginning. The odds shot up even more for radiosensitive cancers—think thyroid cancer, leukemia, breast cancer, and bone cancer. For thyroid cancer alone, the risk was 5 times higher in people who lived closest to the creek as kids. Participants who lived within 1 kilometer of Coldwater Creek during childhood showed a 44% higher odds (OR = 1.44; 95% CI, 0.96–2.14) of developing any form of cancer compared to those living more than 20 kilometers away, though this result bordered on statistical significance. The association was stronger for radiosensitive cancers—those linked scientifically to radiation exposure with an odds ratio of 1.85 (95% CI, 1.21–2.81) for those living closest to the creek versus the furthest. For thyroid cancer, the risk was particularly elevated (OR = 5.00; 95% CI, 1.23–20.32) Harvard epidemiologists, led by Prof. Marc Weisskopf, emphasized the broader implications of exposure to low-level radioactive waste from nuclear projects, warning that similar risks could emerge as nuclear power and weapons programs expand worldwide What cancers are we talking about? Thyroid cancer Leukemia Brain tumors Bone cancer Lung cancer Even federal agencies like the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry are backing this up. They say anyone who lived or played near the creek from the 1960s to the 1990s could face higher cancer risks. The takeaway? The closer you lived to Coldwater Creek—and the longer you were there—the higher your chances of developing cancer. It's a textbook case of radiation exposure risks, and experts are warning this isn't just Missouri's problem.

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