MetaFilter posts tagged with atomic

Children of the Atomic Bomb

fire&wings — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:50:20 -0800

Ground Zero 1945: Pictures by Atomic Bomb Survivors. Astonishing works created more than 25 years after the event, many accompanied by artist's comments. [disturbing, possibly NSWF artworks] Paintings are from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, presented on Dr. James Yamazaki's Children of the Atomic Bomb website.

common reactor

plexi — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:40:12 -0800

Babies born in 1954 have more Carbon-14 in their DNA ; trees have rings with a spike of C14 in that year, and even ringless equatorial trees will show an increase of radiocarbon if they were alive in 1954.

In the mid 1950s the United States, Britain, France and Russia tested not quite a million nuclear weapons. Maybe some part of them is still with you.

Atomic explosions

swift — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:28:40 -0800

Atomic and nuclear explosions. Tsar bomb Operation crossroads, 1946 Atomic cannon Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic bomb tested on U.S. troops Dominic I Dominic Sunset First H-bomb First British H-Bomb Chinese nuclear test

When the Wind Blows

Artw — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:48:37 -0800

This is the Wartime Broadcasting Service. This country has been attacked with nuclear weapons. Communications have been severely disrupted, and the number of casualties and the extent of the damage are not yet known. We shall bring you further information as soon as possible. - The BBC releases its script for use in the event of nuclear war.

There Will Come Soft Rains

Surfin' Bird — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:50:03 -0800

1984 Soviet animation based on Ray Bradbury's shot story "There Will Come Soft Rains". WARNING: Depressing view on the future of mankind.

Protection from the Atomic Bomb

jonson — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:42:44 -0800

Protection from the Atomic Bomb A 1950 pamphlet provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Back to the Future

Skeptic — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:07:04 -0800

50 years ago , it was the era of Sputnik, nuclear power, decolonisation, European vows of ever closer union, transistor radios, cars for the masses, and Hula Hoops. What better time to hold a damn big party? The Brussels World Fair of 1958 was inaugurated 50 years ago to the day. It left behind a quirky landmark, a changed city (not always for the best), and memories of more optimistic times.

Atom

empath — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 12:41:22 -0800

Atom. -- The Clash of the Titans -- The Key to the Cosmos -- The Illusion of Reality

Canopus

chunking express — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:00:53 -0800

Four scanned pictures of the French nuclear test codenamed Canopus, which was fired on 24th August 1968 in the Fangataufa Atoll. The photographs are amazing.

The "Nuclear Nav"

gottabefunky — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:00:27 -0800

The "Nuclear Nav." On March 11, 1958, Captain Bruce Kulka was the navigator on an Air Force B-47 Stratojet carrying nuclear bombs to an airfield in North Africa. Somewhere over the southeastern US, the captain sent him to back the bomb bay to check on a cockpit warning light. As he climbed through the narrow space around the Mark 6 nuclear bomb, Kulka grabbed the emergency release pin by mistake. The 8,500-pound "pig" slowly tipped over and fell. Its weight pushed the bomb bay doors open and it dropped out of the plane. Fifteen thousand feet below waited Mars Bluff, SC -- still the only civilian community in the US ever to have a nuclear bomb dropped on it.

Photos from Hiroshima

jonson — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 18:41:52 -0800

Photos from Hiroshima in August of 1945. Long supressed by the occupying U.S. forces, a highly unsettling (and decidedly NSFW) collection of photos from the days immediately after August 6th. Via.

A race of atomic supermen which will conquer the world

Smart Dalek — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 08:51:36 -0800

An' all the hot cats on the block have been doing it too - c'mon now, honey, I wanna do it with you. Anyone hoping to build their own Death Probe without dismantling the vaccum cleaner or floor waxer can rejoice. The creators of Roomba and Scooba have released a barebones version. Add-on software from Microsoft is available, should more ambitious types decide to pair iRobot's tech with LEGO MindStorms pieces.

Project Dribble

gimonca — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 20:59:10 -0800

Nuking Mississippi. In 1964, the Atomic Energy Commission drilled a shaft into a salt dome near Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and began the only test nuclear detonations in the eastern United States. Despite stories of radioactive frogs in the area, and locals remembering that the earth kicked up waves, the ground cracked, chimneys tumbled and the creeks turned black, officials insist that there are no lasting effects from the underground tests.

CIA Comics

caddis — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 11:49:52 -0800

Rescued from rape and slavery - brought to you by the CIA. Also, the Atomic Revolution and AA. From Ethan Persoff who brought us Teddy.

Boom

BlackLeotardFront — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 09:13:55 -0800

If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once in the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One... I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. ---> part one and Part two of Operation Crossroads, one of many atomic testing operations conducted during WWII, documented extensively on film and preserved in excellent condition here at the Archive. For further viewing: Operation Ivy, the testing of the first hydrogen fusion bomb. Operation Cue (1955 version), testing bomb damage done to housing and infrastructure. Special Delivery, a look at the preparation and technology, especially planes, used for the testing. Duck and Cover, a classic safety film from 1951 detailing the best schoolyard response to a nuclear attack. Caution! Interesting, disturbing, and at least an hour's worth of viewing!

Boom

BackwardsCity — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 08:45:25 -0800

Operation Crossroads: Bikini Atoll. Paintings from the site of the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests. Some personal favorites. (via)

The Profits of Fear

iffley — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 06:24:10 -0800

"The neutron bomb has to be the most moral weapon ever invented." -- Sam Cohen, inventor of the neutron bomb. [an article by Charles Platt on boingboing.net]

They Will All Go Together When They Go

jfuller — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 06:24:03 -0800

The atom bomb is 60. It's very popular now and becoming more so daily. The most recent nuclear nation to threaten to use theirs is China. The U.S, Europe, and the U.S.S.R. got through a half century Cold War without immolating themselves. Will South and East Asia be as successful and/or lucky in the near future?

Eyewitness to History

zarq — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 08:34:27 -0800

American's censored Nagasaki A-bomb report unearthed after 60 years: The first reporter to reach Nagasaki following the August 1945 “Fat Man” atomic attack had his newspaper stories censored and banned by US General Douglas MacArthur’s office. The reporter, George Weller, who worked for the (defunct) Chicago Daily News, was prevented from reporting on a mysterious “Disease X” out of fear that the stories of radiation poisoning would horrify the world and shift public attitudes regarding the bomb.

Weller died two years ago. Carbons of the articles were discovered by his son, Anthony.

Four of them were published today for the first time by the Tokyo daily Mainichi Shimbun, which purchased them from Anthony Weller.

Feynan's letters

TimothyMason — Thu, 12 May 2005 06:39:55 -0800

Richard Feynman wrote letters to all kinds of people. Here are some of them.

Hitler's nuclear program

matteo — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 19:17:29 -0800

Hitler's bomb. Adolf Hitler had the atom bomb first but it was too primitive and ungainly for aerial deployment, says a new book by German historian Rainer Karlsch. The book indicates that Nazi scientists carried out tests of what would now be called a dirty nuclear device in the waning days of World War II. US historian Mark Walker, an expert on the Third Reich's atomic weapons program, supports Karlsch's claims: "I consider the arguments very convincing". More inside.

the day the genie was let out of the bottle

crunchland — Fri, 16 Jul 2004 14:55:42 -0800

33 40' 31'' N - 106 28' 29'' W, 7/16/45, 05:29.45

Making The Bomb No Cakewalk After All

y2karl — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 16:44:36 -0800

Libya has pledged to dismantle its atomic weapons program. That is obviously good news, in addition to being a victory for George W. Bush's aggressive foreign policy. But what, exactly, is Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi giving up? Not much... Libya may be closing down its nuclear program because it wasn't working anyway. This points to an important reality about nuclear weapons: they are extremely difficult to make. Claims that bomb plans can be downloaded from the Internet, or that fissile material is easily obtained on the black market and slapped together into an ultimate weapon, seem little more than talk-radio jabber. Nations like Libya that have made determined attempts to obtain atomic munitions have not even come close.

If the Bomb Is So Easy to Make, Why Don't More Nations Have It?

The day the sky exploded

ascullion — Thu, 31 Jul 2003 13:01:30 -0800

The day the sky exploded. Ever wondered exactly what happened when the H-bomb hit Hiroshima? So did lots of scientists.. It's not pointless curiosity - these discoveries should help us all in the future. Of course, those in charge had other things in mind at the time. Hiroshima previously well examined here.

58th Anniversary of Atomic Age

Mo Nickels — Mon, 21 Jul 2003 06:45:51 -0800

This is the 58th Anniversary of the Atomic Age. The successful Trinity nuclear test was made July 16, 1945, in which a six-kilogram sphere of plutonium, compressed to supercriticality by explosive lenses, exploded over the New Mexico desert with a force equal to approximately 20,000 tons of TNT. The Stafford Memo (original in PDF), dated 58 years ago today, is the declassified official report. Outside the use of the weapon in warfare, the risks to humans were uncertain.