Trinity Photograph Collection

Collection

Identifier: 2024-520

Staff Only

Content Description

This collection consists of seven photographs and two negatives of the of the Trinity nuclear detonation. Of the seven photographs, two are 6x5 and five are 12x9 ½. The photographs show the explosion at various points, from the initial detonation to the aftermath. The two negatives correspond with the two smaller photographs.

Dates

Creation: Undated

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes and the collection is open to the public.

Copyright Information

The Science History Institute holds copyright to the Trinity Photograph Collection. The researcher assumes full responsibility for all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Background Note

The first detonation of a nuclear weapon, known by its codename Trinity, took place on July 16, 1945. The bomb, nicknamed Gadget, was a plutonium device which was detonated at 5:30 a.m. and released 18.6 kiloton of power over the New Mexican desert. Trinity was a part of the larger Manhattan Project and was overseen by J. Robert Oppenheimer. The detonation site is now memorialized with an obelisk, which was erected in 1965.