Author Archives: Carel Neffenger

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This month features the sculpture by Henry Moore of Nuclear Energy, located on the University of Chicago Campus near the approximate site of Enrico Fermi’s Chicago Pile-1, the world’s first nuclear reactor. The sculpture has been described as representing both the creative (symbolized by the pillars with arches like a protective cathedral on the bottom) and the destructive (mushroom cloud on the top slightly resembling a skull) sides of nuclear energy.

The sculpture was dedicated on the 25th anniversary of the initiation of the first self-sustaining controlled nuclear reaction by Enrico Fermi on December 2, 1942. It was unveiled at exactly 3:36 PM on December 2, 1967.

Also included in this month’s calendar are some significant Atomic Events in July which, of course, includes the Trinity Test on July 16, 1945. During July, from 1945 through 1990, 72 nuclear tests, both atomospheric and underground, were conducted.

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Download June Atomic Tourism Calendar

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Trinity Tower replica with gadget at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History
Trinity Tower replica with Gadget at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

This month’s calendar features the superstructure of the Trinity Tower replica in Heritage Park at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A replica of the Gadget is being hoisted up to the top of the tower.

June 2025 Atomic Tourism Calendar

The Museum’s nine-acre outdoor Heritage Park, in addition to the Trinity Tower, is full of planes, rockets, missiles, cannons, and a nuclear sub sail. In the Park, the Museum also has one of the few, complete 280 MM Atomic Cannons (Atomic Annie) including the transport vehicles.

In addition to the calendar, this month presents some of the Atomic Events that occured in June through the years (1920 to 1954) as well as the 135 Atomic Shots that occured between 1946 and 1992. This includes the first post-war shot, Crossroads: Able (June 30, 1946), which was the first nuclear weapons tests since Trinity and the first detoniation of a nuclear device since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

The Museum of Nuclear Science and History

The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History presents both permanent and changing exhibits of the diverse applications of nuclear science in the past, present, and future. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the museum is ideally located for atomic tourism to Santa Fe and Los Alamos as well.

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Oppenheimer and Groves statue in Los Alamos

This month’s calendar features the statues of J. Robert Oppenheimer and General Lesie Groves located in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

May Atomic Tourism Calendar

The sculpture of the directors of the Manhattan Project were designed to memorialize the historic photo of the two men standing at Ground Zero at the Trinity Site after the successful test of the plutonium bomb on July 16, 1945.

Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, left, and Army Maj. Gen. Leslie Groves in 1945 at the site of the remains of the Trinity atomic test in New Mexico. Credit: Army

The bronze statues were created by Santa Fe artist Susanne Vertel, who created the life-size statue of Oppenheimer through the Shidoni foundry. However, the foundry closed before completing the Groves statue, which was cast by a Colorado foundry. Thus explains why their patinas are a little different.

The statues are at the intersection of Central Avenue and Bathtub Row, near Fuller Lodge. The dedication occured on May 19, 2011, with grandchildren and great-grandchildren of both men present for the ceremony.

Dedication photo
On the day of the dedication this historic photo was taken of three distinct groups of people: On the left, are the members of the Council-Appointed Committee, assigned the task of spearheading the production of the portrait bronzes. Susanne Vertel, the sculptor who created the two pieces, stands within that group with the red rose on her lapel. Next, are the Los Alamos County Council members and the group on the right is made up of Oppenheimer and Groves family members. (Photo courtesy of Leslie Bucklin)

In addition to the photo of Oppenheimer and Groves, this month’s calendar features all 141 atomic shots that occured in May from 1952-1989. Unfortunately, that means there wasn’t room for some May events, but you can find some of them at the Atomic Heritage Foundation timeline at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History web site.

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