The "Trinity" Atomic Bomb Test

 

Above, a replica of the Trinity test atomic bomb dubbed "The Gadget" at the National
Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Truman's Decision To Drop The A-Bombs On Japan

Above, the Nagasaki hypocenter monument. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The new Christopher Nolan movie, Oppenheimer, is igniting debate over atomic and nuclear bombs. As well it should. 

This month marks 78 years since the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan.

From the Harry S Truman Library & Museum website:

After President Roosevelt died on April 12th, 1945, it became Harry Truman’s job to decide how to end the war. The thought of invading Japan gave Truman and his advisors pause. The war had shown that the Japanese were fighting for the Emperor who convinced them that it was better to die than surrender. Women and children had been taught how to kill with basic weapons. Japanese kamikaze pilots could turn planes into guided missiles. The cost of invasion, they knew, would be high.

Upon becoming president, Harry Truman learned of the Manhattan Project, a secret scientific effort to create an atomic bomb. After a successful test of the weapon, Truman issued the Potsdam Declaration demanding the unconditional surrender of the Japanese government, warning of “prompt and utter destruction.” Eleven days later, on August 6, 1945, having received no reply, an American bomber called the Enola Gay left the Tinian Island in route toward Japan. In the belly of the bomber was “Little Boy,” an atomic bomb. At 8:15 am Hiroshima time, “Little Boy” was dropped. The result was approximately 80,000 deaths in just the first few minutes. Thousands died later from radiation sickness. On August 9, 1945, another bomber was in route to Japan, only this time they were heading for Nagasaki with “Fat Man,” another atomic bomb. After the first minute of dropping “Fat Man,” 39,000 men, women and children were killed. 25,000 more were injured. Both cities were leveled from the bombs and this, in turn, forced Japan to surrender to the United States. The war was finally over.

Today, historians continue to debate this decision. Was there another way to end the war?

Above, the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima in 2004. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I have been to both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Looking at those cities today, one would never suspect that both were obliterated instantly in 1945. 

Atomic Bomb Commemorations

Above, a replica of "Fat Man" at the National Museum of Nuclear
 Science & History in Albuquerque. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This month marks the 78th anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan that ended World War II.

Commemorations will be taking place at several locations that are tied to the Manhattan Project.

According to an article in RV Travel:

Manhattan Project National Historical Park, in partnership with Pearl Harbor National Memorial, will host “Days of Peace and Remembrance” across its three sites to commemorate and reflect on the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan in 1945.

The commemorative programming acknowledges and interprets the conflicting viewpoints, both historical and modern, that surround the development and use of the world’s first atomic weapons. These events provide an opportunity to reflect on the historical and emotional traumas of the atomic bombings. Messages of Peace programs will be held at each of the park sites over the next two weeks. Following is a schedule of events.

To read more, go here. 

Biden Unlikely To Visit Nagasaki

Above, the monument marking the atomic bomb hypocenter in Nagasaki. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Kyodo News is reporting that His Fraudulency Joe Biden is "unlikely" to visit Nagasaki during his trip to Japan for the G-7 summit in May.

Perhaps that's just as well. The atomic bombings are still sensitive issues for both the U.S. and Japan.

According to Kyodo News:

U.S. President Joe Biden is not expected to visit Nagasaki when he travels to Japan for a Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May due to scheduling conflicts, diplomatic sources said Thursday, disappointing citizens who hoped for his trip to the atomic bomb-hit city.

Biden would have been the first sitting U.S. president to visit the southwestern Japan city, which the United States hit with an atomic bomb after dropping one on Hiroshima in August 1945 in the final days of World War II.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hoped he and Biden could send a message to the world from the two atomic-bombed Japanese cities toward a world free of nuclear weapons, with concern growing over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will use such destructive arms in his country's war against Ukraine, the sources said

Japan, meanwhile, has continued to arrange a visit by the G-7 leaders, including Biden, to the atomic bomb museum in Hiroshima, the sources said. If realized, it would be the first time that the G-7 heads have stopped by the museum together. 

Above, the Hiroshima Peace Museum and cenotaph (left). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I have visited the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Museum with G-TOUR in 2004 and visited Nagasaki in 2007. Both are well worth visiting. 

To read more, go here.

Main Features of Hiroshima Peace Park

Above, the Peace Museum in Hiroshima Peace Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2004, one of the stops during G-TOUR (a group tour of Godzilla fans set up by G-FAN magazine) was Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park.

It was a bit of somber visit despite being educational to those interested in World War II history. Still, anyone visiting Japan should consider a visit there.

The Travel has posted an article on the main features of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park that is worth a read.

They begin it with:

World War II took the lives of 75 million people around the globe, leaving destruction and tragedy in its wake. The end to all of that came with even more devastation: Hiroshima and Nagaski, the two atomic bombs that would bring a final, ruthless blow to Japan. While this did signify the end of the war, it also signified what many believed to be the end of the city of Hiroshima.

It's estimated that it took the lives of 140,000 people although the exact number has never been confirmed, due to the long-lasting effects of radiation. Over the next two years, Hiroshima would spend every moment rebuilding but would remember the date of August 6th, 1945, forever. In tribute to those lives lost and as a testament of strength to Japan, the Hiroshima Peace Park was built, featuring unique works that symbolize what life was like the moment that hatch door was opened.

To read more, go here. 

Hiroshima Marks 76th Anniversary of Atomic Bombing

Above, the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today marks the 76th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, the first of two bombings that led to the end of World War II. 

The anniversary was commemorated today in the city.

The Japan Times reported:

HIROSHIMA – Hiroshima on Friday marked the 76th anniversary of the atomic bombing by the United States, with its mayor urging world leaders to shift away from nuclear deterrence to trust-building dialogue.

In the annual ceremony, which was scaled down once again this year amid surging coronavirus infections across Japan, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui called on world leaders to support a U.N. treaty to ban nuclear weapons that came into effect this January.

After a moment of silence was observed at 8:15 a.m., the exact time of the bombing on Aug. 6, 1945, the mayor also highlighted the significance of combining individual efforts, particularly among youth, to encourage nuclear-armed states to change their policies.

 To read the full article, go here.

Lonely Planet: 10 Best Places To Visit In Japan

Above, the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Right now, Japan is not taking in any foreign vacationers.

However, this won't last forever (although it seems that way) and tourists will eventually be welcomed in.

In the meantime, here's what Lonely Planet says are the 10 best places to visit in Japan.

They begin their list with:

Japan offers up a real feast for travelers, with mountainside onsen (hot spring) villages, sleepy beach-lined islands and buzzing megacities all on the menu.

You could arguably spend a lifetime sampling the country’s delights, but some towns and sights are staples; core ingredients to any great Japan trip. Ready to tuck in? Here’s our pick of the 10 best places to visit in Japan.

To see what they are, go here. 

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Temporarily Closed

Above, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The coronavirus has hit Japan hard.

Months ago, it seemed that Japan was weathering the pandemic quite well and life was returning to some normalcy.

All that changed in recent weeks as the pandemic is hitting the country hard, so hard that the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is now temporarily closed.

According to NHK:

A museum in Hiroshima that documents the 1945 atomic bombing of the city has been temporarily closed amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is one of 45 facilities in the western Japanese city that officials have decided to temporarily close to reduce personal contact.

A notice at the entrance says the museum will remain closed until January 3. But people who have already made reservations will be allowed to enter.

To read more, go here. 

Nagasaki Marks 75th Anniversary of Atomic Bombing

Above, the monument that marks ground zero of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan and the city is memorializing the event that led to the end of World War II.

Japan Today reported:

TOKYO - The city of Nagasaki in southern Japan marks the 75th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on Sunday. 

It was the second nuclear bomb dropped by the U.S. three days after the attack on Hiroshima. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and nearly a half-century aggression against its Asian neighbors. 

Dwindling survivors, whose average age exceeds 83, increasingly worry about passing their lessons on to younger generations. 

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ATTACK? 

Nagasaki's sky was also hazy, but visibility briefly cleared. At 11:02 a.m., the Bockscar dropped a 4.5-ton plutonium bomb dubbed “Fat Man” from 31,500 feet (9,600 meters). About 30 seconds later, the bomb exploded at 1,640 feet (500 meters) above a tennis court, hitting the mostly civilian district. Under the mushroom cloud that rose as high as 52,500 feet (16,000 meters), the blast destroyed about 70% of the city. Seconds later, the temperature at ground zero rose to 4,000 degrees Celsius (7,200 degrees Fahrenheit). All wooden houses within one kilometer of ground zero were destroyed by the blast and firestorm. About 20 minutes later, “black rain” of highly radioactive particles started falling onto the city, causing additional radiation exposure.

Above, a replica of "Fat Man" atomic bomb at the National Museum of Nuclear
 Science & History in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum By Virtual Tour

Above, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thanks to COVID-19, travel to Japan is out of the question for the time being.

However, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is commemorating the 75th anniversary (which is today) of the August 6, 1945 atomic bombing of the city with a virtual tour of the museum.

Time Out Tokyo reported:

The 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima takes place this August 6, but Japan’s travel restrictions due to the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic have made it impossible for many people to visit the city and mark the occasion as planned. As a way to commemorate the anniversary while sustaining social distancing protocols, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has partnered with international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as Japanese and American artists to curate materials for a virtual tour of the museum so that people can still visit the site from home.  

The online tour consists of 3D renderings of the museum and its artefacts, including everyday objects which survived the bombing. The new online exhibition, complete with multimedia components, is available from August 6, which marks the anniversary of the bombing.

To read more and to take the virtual online tour, go here. 

Where's The Road In "Them!"?

Above, pointing out where the shocked little girl and her parents' trailer were found in Them!

Just like the 1930s and 1940s are generally considered the "classic era" for horror movies, the 1950s is considered by many to the the "classic era" for science-fiction movies.

Last night, I watched one such classic from the 1950s: Them! (1954), with James Whitmore and James Arness.

The story:

While investigating a series of mysterious deaths, Sergeant Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) finds a young girl (Sandy Descher) who is unable to speak. As Peterson joins forces with FBI agent Robert Graham (James Arness) and scientist Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn), he discovers that all the incidents are due to giant ants that have been mutated by atomic radiation. Peterson and Graham, with the aid of the military, attempt to find the queen ants and destroy the nests before the danger spreads.

The atomic radiation that mutated the ants originated from the 1945 atomic bomb test (the "Trinity" test) in nearby White Sands, New Mexico.

Above, the location of Gramps Johnson's store.

During the movie, a map of the vicinity of Alamogordo in Otero County was shown where the little girl was found wandering in the desert and where Gramps Johnson was found dead in his store basement.

Above, a real map of the Valmont, New Mexico vicinity. There's no such road from it.

This got my curiosity going. I checked Google Maps, Mapquest and others to see if this was an actual road in New Mexico southwest of Alamogordo originating from Valmont. Well, Valmont is a real place, but none of the maps showed the road depicted in the movie. It was either fictional or the road was removed to protect the public. I go with fictional

I guess fans of Them! can't go on that road to see the "locations" (I suspect the scenes were actually filmed in the Mojave Desert of California).

"The Atomic Cafe" Revisited

Above, a replica of the first atomic bomb, unofficially called "The Gadget". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While waiting for Hibachi One to open (as I got there over an hour before it opened), I relaxed and watched The Atomic Cafe on YouTube to kill time.

Since I visited The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History earlier in the day, it appeared appropriate to revisit the tongue-in-cheek documentary of atomic and hydrogen bombs.

In case one hasn't ever viewed The Atomic Cafe, here it is:

The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History - Inside

Above, yours truly with a model of "Fat Man", the Nagasaki atomic bomb for a size perspective.

After getting a haircut at Supercuts in Albuquerque, I headed off to The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.

Above, The Beast with a Redstone rocket in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The museum covers all aspects of nuclear weaponry as well as peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

One of the first things I noticed when pulling up to the museum was a Redstone rocket standing at the parking lot entrance and, in the museum's yard, aircraft and a replica Trinity test tower. The two most interesting (to me) of the aircraft on display were a B-52 bomber and a B-29 Superfortress bomber.

Above, the front of the museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In this blog post, I am concentrating on displays inside the museum. The outdoor displays will be covered in another blog post.

The first gallery was on the pioneers of the atom. This was followed by World War II, critical assembly, Manhattan Project, temporary exhibit (the exhibit during my visit was on the B-52), Trinity & its legacy, "Fat Man" and "Little Boy", Hiroshima & Nagasaki, Cold War, Heritage Park, nuclear medicine, radiation, Nano, atomic culture, Little Albert's Lab (children's area), Whats Up With You, nuclear waste transportation, energy encounter, and uranium cycle.

The museum was established in 1969 and its current home was opened in 2009. It is a Smithsonian affiliate and is the only national museum in the state of New Mexico.

More photos:

Above, Heritage Park from the visitor parking lot. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, part of the critical assembly gallery. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, B-52 fuselage art, part of the temporary exhibit. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, "Little Boy" (Hiroshima) and " Fat Man" (Nagasaki). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a V.I.P. stretch military limousine. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the flag that flew at Trinity during the atomic test. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the first atomic bomb, "The Gadget", of the Trinity test in New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a recovered Nagasaki license plate and a photo of a child's tricycle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a familiar sign during the days of the Cold War. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a collection of Cold War era missiles. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, atomic/nuclear-oriented movie posters. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, model train car toys of the nuclear age. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, an electrostatic x-ray influence machine. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For displays outside, go here.

"Godzilla vs. Mothra" Screening At Albuquerque's National Nuclear Museum

One of the things I wanted to do today while in Albuquerque (and after a haircut) was to visit The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. I had recently heard about it and thought it would be an interesting place to see.

As I walked into the main lobby of the museum, I noticed a sign featuring the Japanese poster for the 1992 Godzilla vs. Mothra movie. As it turns out, there will be a special screening of the movie on November 1 It will be an outdoor screening.

As many Godzilla fans know, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan were a couple of inspirations for the creation of the Godzilla character. With that in mind, I think the 1954 Godzilla or 1995's Godzilla vs Destroyah would have been better choices.

If one happens to be in or near Albuquerque, it would be well worth their time to see the movie at the museum.

August 16, 1945 San Antonio UFO Crash

Above, a model depicting the San Antonio crash.

Two weeks ago, a video had been posted at YouTube by Earth Mystery News about a 1945 UFO crash near San Antonio, New Mexico. This UFO crash predates the Roswell UFO crash by almost two years.

This is the first I've heard in detail this alleged UFO crash. Checking my photograph of a UFO New Mexico Crash Site map (below) displayed at the Roswell UFO Festival, I see the San Antonio site marked as "1".

This crash was about 12 miles from the Trinity a-bomb test site and it took place exactly a month after the a-bomb test on August 16, 1945.

The witness in the video said the UFO was 30' x 15' and had three "beings".

According to the video's description:

Born on the edge of Ground Zero, living in the shadow of Area 51, two little Hispanic children experienced an extraordinary event. Jose Padilla, age 9, and Reme Baca, age 7, witnessed a saucer crash on Padilla land in the town San Antonio, New Mexico. They were witness to one of the most spectacular events in UFO history. 

It is one of the most astounding cases ever encountered, and it helps complete the puzzle of why there has been so many crash retrievals in New Mexico, and its significance in UFO history. 

Little or nothing has been printed about the military’s clean-up operations, shrouded in the “hush-hush” atmosphere of the time. But the military detail apparently came from White Sands Proving Grounds to the east where the first atomic bomb was exploded. It was a recovery operation destined for the mesquite and greasewood desert west of Old US-85, at what is now Milepost 139, the San Antonio exit of Interstate 25. 

Over the course of several days, soldiers in Army fatigues loaded the shattered remains of a flying apparatus onto a huge flatbed truck and hauled it away as witnessed by Remigio Baca and Jose Padilla. Padilla, then age 9, and Baca, 7, secretly watched much of the soldiers’ recovery work from a nearby ridge immediately following America’s first atomic bomb tests at the White Sands Proving Grounds. 

This is part of Paola Harris’s investigation, revisited in May 2018, exclusive to EarthMysteryNews.com

Here's the video:





NOTE: The original video I posted is no longer available. I replaced it with an earlier video (2015) by Harris on the San Antonio, New Mexico UFO crash.

Hiroshima Peace Tourism Project

Above, the A-Bomb Dome. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those who plan to visit the city of Hiroshima, they should also visit a-bomb sites around the city. A new interactive map of those sites to help visitors has been introduced.

The Japan Times reported:

HIROSHIMA – Hiroshima has unveiled the Hiroshima Peace Tourism project, which includes an interactive map showing routes intended to help visitors view the city’s many memorial sites beyond just the Atomic Bomb Dome in the Peace Memorial Park, the main and only destination for about half of tourists. 

“We want visitors to understand and appreciate the city’s commitment to peace,” a city official said.

To read more, go here. 

How Hiroshima Rose From The Ashes

Above, the A-Bomb Dome in 2004. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hiroshima was the first of two Japanese cities to be obliterated by an atomic bomb. But today, it is a thriving city with very few reminders outside of Peace Memorial Park of the atomic attack in August 1945.

BBC Travel has an article on how Hiroshima rose from the ashes.

They wrote:

Today’s Hiroshima is a bright, welcoming place, blessed with an enviable location on the shores of the Inland Sea, with its maze of misty islands. On the other three sides are mountains. Six rivers run through it, earning Hiroshima the nickname the ‘City of Water’. 

Visitors invariably leave here with an overwhelming feeling of admiration and respect for the tremendous character of Hiroshima’s residents, who resolved to pick themselves up and start all over again, turning their tragic experience into a force for good in the world. Many visitors also say they experience a notable spike in their levels of empathy, compassion and altruism. It’s what you might call ‘the Hiroshima Effect’.

To read more, go here. 

Film Shows 1935 Hiroshima

Above, the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall before the bomb. 

A film shot in 1935, showing the city of Hiroshima before it was destroyed in August 1945 by the atomic bomb, has been digitalized and posted online.

The Japan Times reported:

HIROSHIMA – The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum released online Wednesday digitally processed 16 mm film footage that shows the central area of Hiroshima about 10 years before the city was devastated by the U.S. atomic bombing. 

The original film is the only footage owned by the museum depicting the area before World War II. 

The footage is “valuable data that clearly shows how Hiroshima looked before being atom-bombed,” said a staff member at the museum. In the closing days of the war, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, on Aug. 6, 1945, and another on the city of Nagasaki three days later.

The film briefly shows the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall before it became the ruin known today as the Atomic Bomb Dome.

Above, the Atomic Bomb Dome today from a similar vantage point. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To see the film, go here.

Families of Allied Troops Donating To Hiroshima Peace Museum

Above, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Families of allied soldiers have been making donations of photographs and artifacts to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.

They wrote:

HIROSHIMA -- The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has been receiving donations of materials, including photographs capturing Hiroshima in the aftermath of the 1945 atomic bombing, from the children and grandchildren of mostly Allied troops stationed in the city after Japan's surrender. 

A curator at the museum appreciates the donations, saying that some of the photos "show common people in the streets, and that's something that is rarely found in official military documents."

To read more, go here. 

Japan Cheapo's Hiroshima Guide

Above, the Atomic Bomb Dome. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Many foreign visitors to the Kansai region of Japan generally include Hiroshima in their travel itineraries. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum is the biggest draw, but there are other things to see and do while in the city.

Japan Cheapo has posted an article guide of things to see and do in Hiroshima.

It begins with:

Hiroshima is known for one thing, and is on most people’s Japan itinerary—but besides visiting the museums, what can you do there? Our Hiroshima guide will outline all that there is to do, see and eat for a full day of discovery. 

Hiroshima has history, and although it is an important part of the city’s memory and legacy, it is also a place of renewal and beauty. No doubt it will be on your list if you’re traveling in Kansai, and so it should be. But in addition to the memorials to the atrocities of the past, there are plenty of things to enjoy as well as learn from. Only 1 hour and 20 minutes from Osaka by bullet train, Hiroshima is the perfect day trip, and the perfect double-day trip when combined with nearby Miyajima. Allowing for personal preference, it seemed to suit Hiroshima’s legacy to start with the museum and memorial, followed by the beautiful gardens and natural beauty which has re-grown, as it allowed for reflection and consideration.

To read more, go here.