Robert G. Aldous flew 42 missions in B-24s with the 90th Bomb Group during World War II, and another 32 missions in B-29s with the 98th Bomb Group during the Korean War.
In July 1946, the fourth and fifth atomic bombs to explode tore into a fleet of 84 ships anchored at Bikini Atoll in the name of science.
The fire seemed to become a living entity, changing course at will, consuming everything in its path, and generating a heat that melted glass and cutlery and turned bricks to ash. For over four hours, Hamburg burned.
In 1945 the American intellectual, Norman Cousins, was one of the first to raise terrifying questions for humanity about the successful splitting of the atom.
The first B-29s over Tokyo were pathfinders. Coming in over the target from opposite directions, the pathfinders dropped their payload, which immediately burst into flames. The pathfinder's job now done, they retreated from the area, the target now brightly illuminated in the shape of an enormous fiery “X”.
This presentation of FALLOUT, which will premiere on the Museum’s Facebook page, recounts how John Hersey got the story that no other journalist could—and how he subsequently played a role in ensuring that no nuclear attack has happened since, possibly saving millions of lives.
Fox News Anchor and author Chris Wallace discusses his latest book, Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World.
Join us as we reflect on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima 75 years later. The Museum’s Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian, Dr. Rob Citino, will host a discussion on the history, artifacts, and Museum’s educational initiatives about the atomic bomb and Hiroshima.