This Is Not A Place Of Honor

- The Trinity Event -

"Now we are all sons of bitches." -Kenneth Bainbridge, the director of the Trinity Test.

On July 16th, 1945, in the middle of the New Mexico desert and surrounded by total secrecy, a team of scientists worked to test the world's first atomic bomb. We all know how that went.

What you may not know is that, even up until the green light was given for the test, there was debate among them. Some of the scientists were conflicted, worried about the danger of such a weapon in the hands of nations. Others were more optimistic, hoping that, by controlling the atom, they could usher in an era of world peace. Most, though, seemed silent, simply wishing to finish what they started.

Eventually, though, the test commenced. The Gadget was lifted onto the tower, and the sequence began. The world held their breath. T-10 seconds. T-5 seconds. T-3 seconds. T-1 second. Detonation.

The Trinity Event occurred in four phases. The first three phases were predicted, while the last one was not.

The first phase, the Flash, was a massive flash of light, as bright as a second sun, the light of which was seen as far as Texas. The on-site cameras had the first few seconds of their film completely blown out by the flash.

The second phase, the Heat Wave, occurred simultaneously, sending a wave of searing heat out into the surrounding area. For an instant, the air at the base camp burned like an oven.

The third phase, the Blast Wave, took the longest to expand outwards, reaching the observation team almost 40 seconds later and being felt over a hundred miles away.

Lastly, the final, and unexpected phase, was the Apotheosis, as termed after the test by Oppenheimer. Only a minute after initial detonation, the remnants of the blast seemed to shrink inwards on itself, until eventually, they disappeared.

Lead-lined Sherman tanks were driven out, and they were the first ones to see Ground Zero, and the Beyond, up close. The scientists initially thought something had gone wrong with the bomb. It quickly became apparent that something else had happened entirely.