Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll consisted of the detonation of 23 (or 24) nuclear weapons by the United States between 1946 and 1958 on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Tests occurred at 7 test sites on the reef itself, on the sea, in the air, and underwater. The test weapons produced a combined yield of about 77–78.6 Mt of TNT in explosive power. After the inhabitants agreed to a temporary evacuation, to allow nuclear testing on Bikini, which they were told was of great importance to humankind, two nuclear weapons were detonated in 1946. About ten years later, additional tests with thermonuclear weapons in the late 1950s were also conducted. The first thermonuclear explosion was much more powerful than expected, and created a number of issues, but did demonstrate the dangers of such devices.
From Library of Congress.
After the inhabitants agreed to a temporary evacuation, to allow nuclear testing on Bikini
The 167 people who lived on Bikini were instructed to leave so the military could test nuclear bombs,[3] a forced relocation.[4] In 1946 they moved to Rongerik, a small island east of Bikini Atoll, but it turned out to have inadequate resources to support the population. The islanders began experiencing starvation by early 1948 and were moved again to Kwajalein Atoll.[5] The United States used the islands and lagoon as the site of 23 nuclear tests until 1958, when it was discovered that the fallout from nuclear testing was much more dangerous than was previously thought. To this day, the Bikini islanders are prohibited from returning home due to nuclear contamination. There are some signs of recovery as the amount of radiation slowly decreases.
There have been nuclear tests from derelict ships, right? I wonder what the need for the atoll was.
Maybe because they are more interested to test on land, where most of the strategic targets are, but as far away from civilization as possible and on their territory, so it ends up on an island.
Of the cruel things to do, I’m at least glad they found a place with only 167 people and destroyed their home.
Though, they still could have used the desert, even if they were a bit afraid of just how large the yield would be.
Iirc they ended up being a little too interested in the health impact on the inhabitants for it to be considered unintentional or collateral. The way i see it, they just wanted to test on humans but didnt want to deal with human rights advocates so they picked some random little island.
Tell me more about that camera he’s holding. Looks like it weighs 30lbs.
I’m guessing it’s some sort of very large format still camera?
Michigan State University has an exhibition/page about nuclear photography featuring this “aerial still camera sitting on its lens”, which looks similar. I haven’t found more details though.
Looking at this picture, it does seem like the camera in OP’s picture is missing its lens. Also, the camera in OP’s picture is not actually pointing out of the window, so unless there is a different window, it’s likely that he’s not currently taking pictures, and is probably just setting the camera up. I suspect that the cameras were mounted somehow while they were in use, because otherwise they’d be super-awkward like the one in OP’s pic.
I wanna know too, and how it works because… he’s not looking toward the target or anything he’s looking up at that black thing, which I rather assume is a mirror of some sort, for some reason? What’s actually going on in this pic?
I believe the black thing is part of the plane further back, and he’s preparing to get a shot.
I think the black thing is the horizontal stabilizer of a North American B-25 Mitchell. The wiki mentions that there were variants made for photography and reconnaissance.
Nice find! I figured it was something like that, but wasn’t sure how to find the plane.
bikini atoll became bikini bottom when the bombs sank it
But how do you sink an island. It’s basically a hill
That guy looks so much like he’s wearing a fake mustache.
So much of the outfit looks goofy to me, but it’s probably standard issue. Looks like he’s sporting bell bottom jeans (I’m more familiar with them in later decades), and the upward flipped hat brim.
Am I the only one thinking that those pants look very comfortable. I want them.
Navy dungrees are in fact not comfortable and have back pockets in the front for whatever reason. But you could use them to stay afloat in the water, so thats a plus. Probably not floating long with this guy’s pants judging by the partial repairs.
Screams Edward Norton in a Wes Anderson movie.
