Trinity

E15285

Trinity was the codename for the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, conducted by the United States in New Mexico on July 16, 1945.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf atomic bomb test
historical event
nuclear test
aftermath formation of radioactive glassy material known as trinitite
associatedProgram development of atomic bomb during World War II
codeNameBy J. Robert Oppenheimer
codenameFor first detonation of a nuclear weapon
conflictContext World War II
country United States
date 1945-07-16
day 16
detonationHeight tower shot
deviceNickname The Gadget
distanceFromAlamogordo about 35 miles southeast of Alamogordo
distanceFromSocorro about 60 miles north of Socorro
legacy beginning of the nuclear age
influenced postwar nuclear weapons testing programs
location Jornada del Muerto desert
New Mexico
United States
militaryCommander Leslie Groves
month July
namedAfter religious and literary references (including John Donne)
operator Manhattan Project
United States Army
partOf Manhattan Project
preparationStartYear 1944
producedMaterial trinitite
purpose test of implosion-type plutonium bomb design
relatedEvent bombing of Hiroshima
bombing of Nagasaki
result successful detonation of nuclear device
safetyConcerns radioactive fallout
significance demonstrated feasibility of plutonium implosion design used in Fat Man bomb
first nuclear explosion in history
supervisingScientist J. Robert Oppenheimer
testEnvironment desert
testSeries United States nuclear weapons testing
testSite White Sands Proving Ground
testType atmospheric nuclear test
timeOfDetonation 05:29 local time
timeZone Mountain War Time
weaponTypeTested implosion-type nuclear weapon
plutonium implosion device
year 1945
yield about 21 kilotons of TNT
approximately 20 kilotons of TNT


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