At 5:30 a.m. on July 16, 1945, the world was permanently altered. This was the day that the “gadget” detonated over the Jornada del Muerto Desert in New Mexico, launching the Nuclear Age.

Observers’ greatest fear concerning the Trinity Test was that nothing would happen. The reality was far different.

The bomb unleashed four times as much energy as most of the scientists expected. It was the equivalent of setting off 20,000 tons of TNT.

A 40,000-foot wide mushroom cloud rose into the sky. As far as 120 miles away, windows shattered as a result of the blast.

These three silent film reels contain footage of the blast, shown from different angles.

This second video combines images of the bomb prior to detonation, the mushroom cloud, and part of an interview with Dr. J Robert Oppenheimer on his thoughts at the time.

This is an important part of New Mexico’s past that we should all know about. There are several places that offer informative exhibits about the Trinity Test and the Nuclear Age.

The Bradley Science Museum in Los Alamos explores the scientific path to creating the atomic bomb, it provides insight into what life was like for those working on the Manhattan Project, and it addresses the controversy over whether or not dropping the bomb was the only way to defeat Japan.

Flickr/Marcin Wichary Address: 1350 Central Avenue, Los Alamos

The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History is deceptively large and a useful place to visit. It offers a comprehensive look at the Manhattan Project and deals with nuclear weapons and the Cold War.

Tripadvisor/David B. Address: 601 Eubank Boulevard SE, Albuquerque

On two days each year – one in April and one in October, you can actually visit the Trinity Site and see precisely where the world changed. For more information.

Flickr/Samat Jain

Have you been to any of these places to learn about New Mexico’s nuclear history?

Flickr/Marcin Wichary

Address: 1350 Central Avenue, Los Alamos

Tripadvisor/David B.

Address: 601 Eubank Boulevard SE, Albuquerque

Flickr/Samat Jain

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