History on Tap: Women of the Manhattan Project
Channel: Los Alamos Historical Society
Date: 2021-03-24

On March 22, 2021, Heather McClenahan led an online conversation about the women of the Manhattan Project.


You may often hear the complaint: "They never tell us that in the history books!" Actually, "they" do. You just have to find the right history books! From their roles as scientists, technicians, telephone operators, truck drivers, wives, mothers, and more, women played significant roles in Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project. A standard high school history book may not tell the stories, but memoirs, biographies, books focused on women's history, and a bit of old-fashioned digging in archives for oral history interviews and newspaper articles reveal hundreds of these stories. We'll delve into some of the stories that are powerful, heartwarming, and surprising during History on Tap for March, Women's History Month. Bring questions and stories of your own!

Heather McClenahan, a writer and historian, retired from the executive director position of the Los Alamos Historical Society in 2019 with the intention of traveling the world with her husband. Halted in their travels by COVID-19, they have settled in a home base in Las Cruces, where Heather continues to study history and work sporadically on a book about Los Alamos history in between hiking, bird watching, and eating green chile.



History on Tap is part of the On Tap series presented by the Los Alamos Creative District. Each month features one On Tap with a rotating theme of history, nature and culture hosted by the Los Alamos Historical Society and Pajarito Environmental Education Center. Science On Tap, hosted by the Bradbury Science Museum, happens every month.