While impossible to believe today, back in the fifties, America was obsessed with everything atomic. The atom bomb went from being a feared danger to a powerful symbol of American supremacy in a time many people look back on now as the good ole days and safer times.
The mushroom cloud became such a fascination, American companies used its image to sell everything from candy, playing cards, cocktails, books, magazines as well as children’s comic books and cereal.
American fascination with the atomic bomb and the unavailability of overseas locations eventually lead to the establishment of the Nevada Test Site in 1950, a place where the US government could blow up the same bombs on American soil it used to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan at the end of the Second World War.
The Nevada Test Site
From 1951 until 1992, the Nevada Test Site exploded 928 nuclear weapons within a stone’s throw from the ever growing city of Las Vegas. Trials initially caused havoc for nearby casinos, blowing out windows and causing other damage. But soon these tests became a tourist draw.
High rolling gamblers flocked to Las Vegas to live large, win big and witness the awesome power of the mushroom cloud explosions right from the casino balcony during regularly scheduled explosions at the Nevada Test Site.
In October 1992 a world wide nuclear test moratorium went into effect. To commemorate this odd historical ripple, The Atomic Testing Museum opened its doors to those still interested in the awesome power of the most destructive weapon created by man.
The Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas
Through important documents, films, exhibits and photos, the history of the two world wars, the Korean War as well as the Cold War is explored through the eyes of the emerging nuclear energy age. Interactive touch screen televisions give in-depth information and actual footage of bomb explosions.
Like all things Vegas, the atomic tests quickly became an attraction, instead of scaring off potential gamblers and pleasure seekers. In ten years (1950-1960) the population of Las Vegas boomed from a population of 24,624 to 64,405 thanks to the test site. The Atomic Testing Museum documents every step of the evolution.
Ground Zero Theatre at the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas
Ground Zero Theatre simulates an above ground test. Visitors enter a chamber and view a movie that not only explains the history of atomic testing, but replicates the effects felt during a bombing. When the countdown begins and the ground rumbles and roars, even though it’s a simulation, the effects wrack nerves and fear becomes reality.
Although the Atomic Testing Museum closely examines the evolution of the bombs and American fascination with them, it simply washes over their devastating effects and true purpose. There’s not much dedicated to the destructive effects of atomic bombs or Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the museum mostly concentrates on the bombs at the testing sites.
The glossing over of the devastating effects of the bombs comes across as a missed opportunity for this otherwise informative, worthwhile must-see Las Vegas museum.
James W. Coates - A nomad at heart, James W. Coates has been combining his passion for music, writing and traveling ever since his father packed the family ...
