description: Just before dawn on July 16, 1945, the world's ﬁrst nuclear bomb was exploded at Trinity Site in an isolated stretch of the central New Mexico desert. It may have been the single most important event of the twentieth century. The Day the Sun Rose Twice is the fascinating story of the events leading up to this ﬁrst test explosion, the characters and roles of the people involved, and the aftermath, both political and physical, of the bomb.The story of the test itself is a remarkable account of cooperation and success, involving not only scientists but also a huge effort on the part of American industry. What was perceived as a race against time to beat the Nazis to the secrets of nuclear fission can now be viewed, from a perspective of nearly forty years, for the long-range consequences of which the scientists then were barely aware. This unprecedented joint effort by science, industry, and the military was truly a delving into the unknown; no one could really predict the effects of a bomb that unleashed the force of 20,000 tons of TNT, nor could they foresee its profound long-term consequences.The author has interviewed many of the people who worked at Los Alamos during the war, and he is the first historian who has been able to study the newly declassified Manhattan Project papers. His story details the reasons behind the decision to field-test the bomb and to construct the gigantic outdoor laboratory in the desert, the key roles played by the weather and the chief meteorologist on July 16,1945, and the awestruck reaction of the scientists present at the detonation. Szasz gives not only a minute-by-minute account of the tension-filled days and months preceding the test, but also a longer view, with attention to the implications of such unprecedented human control over nature.
language: English
title: Day The Sun Rose Twice: The Story Of The Trinity Site Nuclear Explosion, Ju
titlecomplete: Day The Sun Rose Twice: The Story Of The Trinity Site Nuclear Explosion, Ju
genres: Historical, Science, Nonfiction, Read For School, American History, Military Fiction, History
ratings_count: 109
awards: awardedAt: 504950400000
name: Robert G. Athearn Prize
publisher: Turtleback Books