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Closest newspaper to the atom bomb test...
Closest newspaper to the atom bomb test...
Item # 698290
July 01, 1946
THE ATOMIC BLAST - A-Day Extra! July 1st, 1946, Kwajalein Island.
* BEST PUBLICATION TO BE HAD (RARE)
* Operation Crossroads - Atomic bombing
* Nuclear weapon at Bikini Atoll - Able
* B-29 Superfortress Dave's Dream
This is part of the Marshall Islands, which also includes the Bikini Atoll where the July 1, 1946 atomic bomb test took place.
The first series of tests over Bikini Atoll were in July, 1946, codenamed Operation Crossroads. The first bomb, named Able, was dropped from an aircraft and detonated 520 ft. above the target fleet. The second, Baker, was suspended under a barge.
This "newspaper" was printed in nearby Kwajalein Islands, with the headline noting: "WE'RE STILL HERE ! " after the blast. Photos include the man who "Dropped It" and the man who "Flew It" as well as: "Notables View A-Bomb Test".
The "Editors Note" begins: "This special edition of the 'Atomic Blast' has been designed to give you a summary of the activities of A-Day. Because it would be impossible to furnish you with a regulation paper we have used considerable freedom in layout. This enables us to give you a souvenir edition on A Plus 1 Day...". The back page is very descriptive as well.
With collectors wanting notable events in newspapers from as close to the event as possible, they don't get any better than this.
Complete as a single sheet issue, 15 1/2 by 20 inches, very nice condition.
AI notes: THE ATOMIC BLAST – A‑Day Extra! dated July 1, 1946, was a special edition newspaper published on Kwajalein Island to report on the historic atomic detonation over Bikini Atoll, part of Operation Crossroads Test Able, the first post‑World War II nuclear test. The issue likely contained immediate accounts of the blast, describing the bright flash, towering mushroom cloud, and shockwave observed from both aircraft and nearby observation ships, as well as reports on the fleet of target vessels and the anticipated effects of radiation. Headlines and articles would have emphasized the unprecedented nature of the event, celebrating it as a demonstration of U.S. military power while providing instructions and safety notices for personnel stationed on Kwajalein. The paper served both as a historical record of the atomic test and as a morale piece for service members, capturing the tension, awe, and scientific curiosity surrounding humanity’s first peacetime nuclear explosion in the remote Pacific theater.
Category: The 20th Century
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$325.00
