When the bomb went off, few actually saw the explosion. Most did as they were ordered and turned their backs. Others, like Teller, saw it using goggles and suntan lotion for protection. Meanwhile, a young Richard Feynman reasoned that the only real danger from the bomb at that distance was from hard ultraviolet rays, so he sat in an Army truck and watched from behind the protective glass windscreen, making him the only one to see the test with the naked eye.
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I visited the site in 1995. At the time, it was open two days each year.
That was a truly amazing period in American history. Just think about the coordination of the hundreds of people involved. Think of guts, perseverance and fortitude required to so quickly bring a test weapon to fruition where it could be used to kill Japs. It saved tens of thousands of American lives and ended a world war. That is American greatness.
My father was actually there for Trinity. He was a flight trainer at White Sands. That morning he was scheduled to take a squad up early for training in formation flying. Just as they were taxiing out a message came over the radio to stop where they were & cut engines. He said it seemed like the sun rose in an instant & every rivet on the plane was visible. My mother was 20 miles away & heard the explosion. Of course, they were told it was an ammo dump that had blown up.