Trinity, 64 year atomic anniversary

64 years ago, on July 16, 1945 Trinity was the first test of an atomic weapon.

It changed the world we live in forever. This isn’t the kind of thing i’d usually write about, but it’s an interesting subject, and the quote from Oppenheimer is very moving (particularly the video).

We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, “Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” I suppose we all thought that one way or another.

– -J. Robert Oppenheimer

On a slightly happier note, i’d recommend reading Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman by Richard Feynman. He worked on the trinity project, amongst other things and was a brilliant man. He was also a real character and has some very entertaining tales and an excellent read.