Nevada

5 of the most significant atomic blasts at the Nevada Test Site

Published

1 year ago

November 12, 2024

5 of the most significant atomic blasts at the Nevada Test Site

The Nevada Test Site didn’t waste any time.

President Harry Truman established the site, a 680-square-mile section of the Nellis Air Force Gunnery and Bombing Range, on Dec. 18, 1950.

Less than six weeks later, a 1-kiloton device, equivalent to 1,000 tons of TNT, was dropped from an Air Force B-50 bomber.

It was the first of 928 nuclear tests, 100 of them above ground, at what was originally known as the Nevada Proving Grounds and is now referred to as the Nevada National Security Site.

We asked the Atomic Museum’s Joe Kent, deputy director and curator, and Matt Malinowski, director of education, about the most significant blasts at the test site.

Here are five of their picks, with the series name followed by the test name, along with how the Review-Journal covered them.

Ranger/Able

Date: Jan. 27, 1951

What it was: This was the first atomic test in the continental U.S. since the Manhattan Project’s Trinity test on July 16, 1945.

“It was very much, ‘OK, let’s get started. Let’s see how it goes,’ ” Kent said.

How we covered it: “Roulette wheels and dice tables, which operate 24 hours a day here, were still doing a brisk business when the blast went off around 5 a.m.,” we wrote.

“In the Golden Nugget, a man standing at one of the craps tables felt the shock. He paused and looked around.

“ ‘Must be an A-bomb,’ he said. He turned back to the table and went on with the game.”

Local insurance agent O.A. Kimball said one of his clients called before dawn to tell him the plaster on her walls and ceiling were cracked by the explosion.

“ ‘The doors really played a tune when the thing went off,’ Kimball reported her as saying, ‘and I was afraid for a few minutes the house would fall down.’ ”

Upshot-Knothole/Harry

Date: May 19, 1953

What it was: This 32-kiloton test became known as “Dirty Harry” when the fallout, which was intended to land between Alamo and Glendale, was blown downwind into St. George, Utah.

“That’s probably the quintessential test that is tied to the downwinder movement,” Kent said of the presumed victims of the blast who were exposed to radiation.

How we covered it: “The cloud, which was barely visible in Las Vegas because of the overcast, gray dawn, traveled in an east-southeast direction and the atomic energy commission (sic) established highway checkpoints on Highways 91 and 93 to warn motorists of the possibility of radioactive fallout.

“The checkpoints were established at St. George, Alamo, Glendale and Nellis air force base (sic) and were a precautionary measure. No hazardous levels of radioactivity were reported.”

The next day, we checked in on St. George.

“Having an atomic cloud hover over their town caused little concern to the men, women and children who live in St. George, Utah, who kept indoors several hours yesterday after atomic energy commission officials reported that there would be some fallout there after yesterday morning’s shot.”

St. George resident Dick Hammer estimated between 30 and 40 people, most of them tourists, were in his Dick’s Cafe when the word that people should remain indoors came over the radio. One woman, he said, wondered what would happen to them.

“ ‘Hell, lady, I don’t know,’ Hammer replied, ‘but I don’t think you have much to worry about.’ ”

Teapot/Apple 2

Date: May 5, 1955

What it was: This was the second of “two highly publicized civil effects tests just to see what would happen to a small town,” Kent said. “What would be the concerns if the town was hit with one of these bombs.”

It’s also the test that inspired the scene in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in which Indy rides out a nuclear blast in a refrigerator.

A 29-kiloton device was dropped from a 500-foot tower near Doom Town, the symbolic burgh made up of fully furnished homes, a radio station, a gas station and other signs of civilization, with mannequins representing the residents.

How we covered it: “A fearsome nuclear weapon bludgeoned this guinea-pig city today while the civil defense teams staged a dress rehearsal of their possible roles in the atomic age.

“Dummies dressed as men, women and children were grouped under the atom’s devastating might in an experiment to determine how families in an American target city might survive the fury of nuclear warfare.”

The blast was described as “a spectacular orange, blue and purple fireball.”

The next day, officials got a full look at the damage.

“Death and serious injury struck the dummy men, women and children of Doomsday Drive, the little dirt road lying only 4,700 feet from ground zero,” we wrote.

“A mannequin mother died horribly in her one-story home of pre-cast concrete slabs. Portions of her plaster-and-paint body were found in three different areas. A mannequin tot, perhaps the size of your 3-year-old, was blown out of bed and showered with needle-sharp glass fragments. This house withstood the blast, but its occupants may not have.”

Plumbbob/Hood

Date: July 5, 1957

What it was: A 74-kiloton thermonuclear device was dropped from a balloon, sending an atomic cloud 49,000 feet into the air, as part of the largest above-ground test at the site. The test is featured in the Atomic Museum’s Ground Zero Theater.

It also was part of the Desert Rock exercises, essentially war games designed to test how members of the military would perform during an atomic war.

“They would have these exercises along with the blasts,” Malinowski said. “So the troops would be put into foxholes or trenches, told to stay down low, not to look directly at the light while it was going off.”

How we covered it: “Nuclear scientists this morning fired the largest atomic blast ever to be detonated in the continental United States and the resulting explosion caused veteran observers 13 miles from ground zero to gasp with awe at its terrible immensity.

“The flash and fulminating fireball caused joshua (sic) trees and yucca plants near zero to burst into flames, making the desert floor resemble a flaming city.”

Elsewhere in that edition, it was reported that “a United Airlines pilot flying from Honolulu to Los Angeles radioed that he saw the light of the Nevada blast as his plane cruised 1,000 miles off the California coast.” A bright flash was reported in San Francisco, while residents in Hollywood, Anaheim and Newport Beach reported feeling “two jarring shocks” at 5:05 a.m., 25 minutes after the detonation.

Julin/Divider

Date: Sept. 23, 1992

What it was: This underground vertical shaft test of less than 20 kilotons proved to be the final full-scale test at the site. It wasn’t designed to be, but a nine-month testing moratorium went into effect on Oct. 1. The next year, it was extended indefinitely.

“They still do subcritical testing on the weapons stockpile out there,” Malinowski said. “So even though they’re not doing full-scale detonations, there are experiments they do to kind of verify that the stockpile is still well-maintained and active.”

How we covered it: “The United States conducted its sixth nuclear weapons test of the year Wednesday at the Nevada Test Site, five days after the last one, while four Belgian anti-nuclear activists hid within a mile or two of ground zero, U.S. authorities said.

“The four — three men and a woman — said they feared for their safety as Department of Energy scientists began counting down the last five minutes prior to the 8:04 a.m. detonation, prompting them to flee on bicycles to a safer location, some three miles from ground zero.”

They were arrested there about an hour later.

“I was kind of scared,” said Michiel De Grande, 25, outside the Foley Federal Building after he was ordered to appear the next day for a hearing on federal trespass charges. “The feeling inside was real strange, the feeling of the pain of the Earth. It shook for 10 seconds. Even before the bomb exploded you could feel the Earth crying.”

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on X.

Source link

Nevada

People urged to stay inside across California, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota

Published

2 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

People urged to stay inside across California, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota

Thousands of residents across parts of California, Nevada, Oregon, and South Dakota have been advised to stay indoors, as levels of fine particle pollution (PM2.5) will have reached “unhealthy” levels as of January 12, 2026, at 6 a.m. ET, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) AirNow Map shows.

The EPA is urging people in sensitive groups, including the elderly, children, and those with certain health conditions, to completely avoid prolonged or intense outdoor activities. Everyone else should reduce their participation in long or intense outdoor pursuits.

This is because physical activity causes people to breathe harder and faster, which means the fine particulate matter can penetrate deeper into the lungs if people are exercising outdoors.

The EPA warns, “Your chances of being affected by particles increase the more strenuous your activity and the longer you are active outdoors. If your activity involves prolonged or heavy exertion, reduce your activity time—or substitute another that involves less exertion. Go for a walk instead of a jog, for example.”

What Do ‘Unhealthy’ Levels of PM2.5 Mean?

PM2.5 are tiny, inhalable particles of pollution, 2.5 micrometers or less in size (smaller than a strand of hair), that are considered to be one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution, according to the EPA.

This is because they get deep into the lungs—and sometimes even the bloodstream—triggering or exacerbating certain health conditions, like asthma, or causing symptoms ranging from coughing and nose, eye, and throat irritation to shortness of breath and chest tightness.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses the Air Quality Index (AQI) to report and classify air quality across the United States. The AQI is a standardized scale ranging from 0 to 301+, which categorizes air quality into the following levels:

Good: 0 to 50—Air pollution poses little or no risk to the public
Moderate: 51 to 100—Some pollutants may pose a moderate health concern for a very small number of unusually sensitive people
Unhealthy for sensitive groups: 101 to 150—Members of sensitive groups (children, elderly, people with respiratory or heart conditions) may experience health effects; the general public is less likely to be affected
Unhealthy: 151 to 200—Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious effects
Very Unhealthy: 201 to 300—Everyone may experience more serious health effects
Hazardous: 301+—Health warnings of emergency conditions; the entire population is likely to be affected

What Causes PM2.5?

PM2.5 can come from a variety of sources, ranging from wildfires and smokestacks to emissions from vehicles and power or industrial plants.

Source link

Nevada

3 takeaways from Big City Showdown: Gorman boys, girls shine — PHOTOS

Published

14 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

3 takeaways from Big City Showdown: Gorman boys, girls shine — PHOTOS

Bishop Gorman and Coronado’s boys basketball teams added another chapter to their rivalry at Saturday night’s Big City Showdown.

And the Gaels made sure they wouldn’t lose a third straight regular-season game to the Cougars.

Gorman, the two-time defending Class 5A state champion, almost saw its 10-point fourth quarter lead evaporate, but the Gaels, No. 4 in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, pulled through late to hold on for a 62-58 road win at No. 3 Coronado.

“It’s been a great rivalry,” Gorman boys coach Grant Rice said. “Student sections are both great, they always show out. I was proud of our guys, just a fun night. We got a lot of basketball left ahead of us. This league is really tough.”

Gorman’s win capped off the seven-game Big City Showdown. The most surprising result came before Gorman and Coronado took the court, when the Gorman girls crushed Centennial 91-54.

“We practice extremely hard,” Gorman girls coach Sheryl Krmpotich said. “Our master plan, they did to a T. I’m proud of the girls. They executed exactly what we wanted. We played tougher and we played smart.”

The games have started to provide a clearer look at the playoff picture with a month before the postseason. Here are three takeaways from the Big City Showdown:

1. Gorman boys stand tall

Gorman (11-7, 2-0 5A Southern League) was in control most of the way until late in the fourth quarter. Dino Roberts’ layup with just over five minutes left gave the Gaels a 51-41 advantage.

Then Coronado (6-7, 1-1) went on an 8-0 run and later made it a one-score game at 55-53 on a Demari Hunter layup with 2:50 left. Coronado cut the deficit to one possession twice in the final minute, and the Cougars had a chance to win the game, trailing 60-58 with eight seconds left.

But a Jonny Collins 3-pointer missed, Coronado couldn’t control possession and Gorman guard Ty Johnson made two free throws at the other end to seal the win for the Gaels.

“We’re a really balanced team,” Rice said. “We only have two seniors and two juniors that get minutes and the rest are sophomores. We’re learning. … I think the guys needed this big game in Vegas to get their confidence back. We still have to stay grounded because we’re a young team, but we showed we can be pretty good.”

Johnson, who was named the game MVP, led Gorman with 23 points. The sophomore point guard scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Gaels secure the win. Braylen Williams added 13 points for Gorman and Dino Roberts scored 10.

“It just helps us excel,” Johnson said of Gorman’s depth. “We had Hudson Dannels making 3s, (Kameron Cooper) and Braylen hustling on the boards. Defense and rebounding are the two things that’ll get us a (win). We’re going to score, points are going to come.”

Munir Greg led Coronado with 22 points. Missouri State commit Amare Oba scored 16 points and DeVaughn Dorrough added 10 points for the Cougars.

2. Gorman girls dominate

Just like Coronado and Gorman on the boys side, the Centennial and Gorman girls have played close, thrilling games. Not on Saturday, though.

Led by 30 points from Texas commit Aaliah Spaight, the Gaels, No. 1 in the Review-Journal’s 5A rankings, led nearly the entire game in its rout of No. 3 Centennial.

“Every game, we’re getting better. Every quarter we get better,” Krmpotich said. “We still haven’t put four quarters together yet. We want to do that in February.”

Centennial (8-4, 1-1 5A Southern League) had no answers for Spaight and Gorman’s depth. The 5-foot-8-inch guard showcased her scoring range — stepback 3s, jumpers and incredible post moves — passing and defense, when Spaight was matched up with Centennial four-star forward Nation Williams.

“She’s the All-American on our team,” Krmpotich said of Spaight. “She sets a tone at practice. She sets a tone in the game. She is a true leader and you expect that. … She’s an extremely smart basketball player, basketball savvy, so we knew she knew how to guard (Williams).”

Gorman (13-1, 2-0), which is ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps, made 12 3-pointers. Taylor Scandrick added 22 points off the bench for the Gaels. Williams led Centennial with 18 points.

“We can rotate in and out. We have an inside-out game. We have kids that can post, kids that can drive to the bucket, kids than can shoot a 3,” Krmpotich said. We’re very multidimensional, so it’s very hard to defend just one or two people.”

3. Look at 5A

There are still plenty of challengers looking to dethrone Gorman for the 5A boys title race.

One matchup at the Big City Showdown pitted two of those contenders with No. 1 Liberty holding off No. 5 Desert Pines 67-66. Liberty led by 21 points early in the third quarter. Tyus Thomas scored 15 points to pace Liberty (13-5, 2-0).

The Patriots could be the biggest threat to Gorman, and you can’t count out Desert Pines, but there are other contenders in 5A with Democracy Prep and Mojave. Coronado should be primed for a state title run come February.

On the 5A girls side, No. 2 Democracy Prep will get its shots at Gorman and Centennial late in the regular season. Democracy Prep beat Gorman twice last year and came up short to Centennial in the 5A title game.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.

Source link

Nevada

Nevada gets back in win column, downs Wyoming, 92-83

Published

1 day ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Nevada gets back in win column, downs Wyoming, 92-83

Corey Camper Jr. put on a shooting clinic and helped Nevada get back in the win column.

Nevada beat Wyoming 92-83, on Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 8,906 fans at Lawlor Events Center.

Camper Jr., playing for the third time after missing a month with a back injury, scored a career-high 31 points as Nevada improved to 4-1 in the Mountain West Conference, 12-4 overall. He was 10-of-13 from the field including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, and 6-of-8 from the free throw line, playing 32 minutes. He had seven rebounds.

Elijah Price had a double-double with a career-high 20 points and 16 rebounds, in 34 minutes, while Tayshawn Comer, Amire Robinson and Peyton White each added 10 points. Comer had 10 assists as Nevada had 21 as a team. Vaughn Weems returned to the court after missing the San Diego State game on Tuesday with the flu. He played 12 minutes and scored nine points.

The Wolf Pack shot 61 percent from the field (31-51) and made 10-of-16 from the arc.

Nasir Meyer led Wyoming with 27 points as the Cowboys dropped to 2-2 in conference, 11-5 overall.

Nevada coach Steve Alford said the Wolf Pack’s defense was better against the Cowboys than it was in the loss to San Diego State.

But still not to the level he would like it.

He cited communication and players’ stances while both guarding the ball and off the ball as a few of the many fundamentals the Pack needs to improve.

“We had slippage in the (San Diego) State game and we didn’t have a whole of improvement in this game, from a defensive standpoint,” Alford said Saturday night.

Nevada’s offense was much better, though, than in the loss to the Aztecs. The Pack took better shots and eliminated bad shots.

Alford said Price played more of a complete game than he has most of the season.

Price said the Pack’s defense was not good, but played better in the second half and that as why the Pack won.

“We’re a lot better defensively than what we’ve been showing the past two games,” Price said. “We know if were going to beat Utah State on the road, we’re going to have to get some stops, so that’s what we’re focused on.”

More Key Stats

Nevada outrebounded Wyoming, 38-32. Both teams had nine offensive boards.

Nevada had eight turnovers and Wyoming had six.

The Pack outscored the Cowboys, 38-32, in the paint.

Wyoming’s bench outscored the Pack’s, 31-29.

Out

Nevada’s Joel Armotrading and Tyler Rolison did not play. Armotrading was injured against Washington on Nov. 27 and has not played since. Rolison has a back injury.

Half

Wyoming led, 39-38, at the half. Camper Jr. had 19 points in the first half.

Nevada shot 14-of-27 from the field and 5-of-10 from the ac.

The Cowboys outscored the Wolf Pack in the paint, 22-14.

Up Next

Nevada travels to play at State at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The Aggies dominated Boise State on Saturday, taking a 93-68 win to improve to 14-1 overall, 5-0 in conference.

Nevada will travel to Logan, Utah on Tuesday, and stay on the road for the following game, at Air Force on Saturday.

“(Utah State) has one of the best crowds in the Mountain West , so we know it’s going to be a very difficult game for us,” Alford said. “We needed to get this one, to get that momentum before we go on the road.”

Alford said if Indiana wins that game, and finished 16-0, it means Indiana will have the only two undefeated season in college major sports as the Hoosiers 1976 basketball team was undefeated.

Alford’s Alma Mater

Alford played college basketball at Indoana.

The Hoosiers are playing Miami for the national football championship on Jan 19.

Steve Alford discusses Nevada’s 92-83 win over Wyoming on Saturday

Nevada men’s basketball coach Steve Alford discusses the Wolf Pack’s 92-83 win over Wyoming on Saturday

Nevada’s Remaining Schedule

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m. at Utah State (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Jan. 17, 1 p.m. at Air Force (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m. vs. San Jose State (TV: KNSN, MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 5 p.m. at New Mexico (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m. vs. Grand Canyon (TV: FS1/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Friday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. vs. UNLV (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 5 p.m. at Boise State (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. vs. Fresno State (TV: KNSN, MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. at San Diego State (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m. at San Jose State (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. vs. Utah State (TV: FS1/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. vs. New Mexico (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. at UNLV (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, March 3, TBD at Wyoming (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, March 7, 7 p.m. vs. Air Force (TV: KNSN, MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)