Touring The Trinity Test Site

It was here in the middle of the desert, in what is now the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico -- that the world’s first atomic bomb was tested and exploded on July 16,1945.

Now, the test site, called Trinity, is a national tourist attraction, open to the public just two days a year – in April and October. There are not many artifacts left to look at, but for history buffs or anyone interested in seeing where the start of the atomic age took place – visitors can walk around the site.

The Trinity site open house, normally held in April, was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is uncertain if the second open house will take place this October. This video offers a small glimpse into the history of Trinity.

For more stories, videos and infographics related to Inside Science’s coverage of the far-reaching ways that the Manhattan Project influenced science and society, visit our page: Seventy-Five Years After Trinity .