Longing for the Bomb: Oak Ridge and Atomic Nostalgia by Lindsey A. Freeman

Author:Lindsey A. Freeman [Freeman, Lindsey A.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub, pdf
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 2015-04-12T16:00:00+00:00

Operation Open Sesame

On March 19, 1949, the Atomic City was opened with a tiny mushroom cloud. A standard ribbon-cutting ceremony executed with a snip of scissor blades would have been far too gauche for this science city of the future. In its place, a mini-simulacrum of an atomic bomb blast was ignited, setting ablaze the scarlet ribbon that stretched across the city’s main gate. The tiny mushroom of smoke was the result of an electrical impulse generated from a uranium chain reaction initiated from the graphite pile of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (X-10 during the Manhattan Project). This charge caused the ribbon, which had been treated with potassium chlorate and magnesium, to catch fire in order to make a loud pop. Many of those in attendance were visibly startled, as can be seen in the photographs taken on that day; many believed they were witnessing a live atomic explosion.61 Others, without waiting for the smoke to clear, scrambled for bits of singed ribbon for their scrapbooks. Margaret Truman, the daughter of the president, was initially invited to sever the ribbon (the method was not specified), but she had declined due to a scheduling conflict. My grandmother cleared her schedule and was there that day and recalled being frightened, but also in awe. My grandfather, never one for crowds, opted to stay home and tinker with an old truck he was working on, a spark plug that refused to spark.

As part of the AEC’s Operation Open Sesame, the ribbon-burning helped to usher in a new phase of visibility for the former secret city of the Manhattan Project. This spirit of openness marked a drastic change for Oak Ridge; the city would no longer function as a completely closed federal military reservation, unmapped and invisible to the Rand-McNally universe. Although the AEC referred to Oak Ridge’s transition as part of its process of normalization, Operation Open Sesame was not a normal day; it was a spectacular event with thousands of people in attendance, including numerous celebrities and politicians.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.