On Dec 1-2, the University of Chicago commemorates the 75th anniversary of the first sustained nuclear chain reaction, Chicago Pile 1, led by Enrico Fermi, an event that ushered in the nuclear era. Amidst the planned commemoration activities, including the pyrotechnics of a multicolored mushroom cloud, the tolling of bells, and faculty organized events and… Read More »
Events, Commemorations
Manhattan Project Park: Petition for Downwinders!
Please sign my Change.org petition! Recently, the US gov approved funding for a “Manhattan Project National Historical Park.” We urge them to include prominent exhibits about the Downwinders. “Downwinders” are innocent people who lived near bomb-building plants, test-sites or dumping grounds, and were thereby poisoned by radiation. Many have died, but many are still alive and suffering from… Read More »
Al Jazeera America and Drinking in Richland
Al Jazeera America recently ran my article about the forgotten victims of the Manhattan Project. The experience was extraordinary…and I’m losing track of all the ironies. Congress voted in December 2014 to create a National Historical Park in my home town of Richland, Washington. Richland is the site of the plutonium-producing Hanford B-Reactor, one of the… Read More »
Atomic Bomb Detonated in New Mexico!
Can you imagine the outrage and fear if this headline were to appear today? The headline never ran—but the bombing was very real. The Bombing Happened. We Did It. Most people do not know that the first nuclear bomb exploded right here in the United States. That bomb, a US test, blasted huge about 35… Read More »
Saying Goodbye to the CREHST Museum
I visited the CREHST (Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science and Technology) Museum in Richland, WA just before its closure at end of January. I was distressed to learn that the new museum, the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center, which will open in July 2014, will include only the early Manhattan Project period in its displays.… Read More »
Manhattan Project 70th Anniversary Event Photo Gallery
Hanford Downwinder Panel in Manhattan Project Commemoration
The presence of the Downwinders was felt in Richland at the Hanford Manhattan Project 70th Anniversary, in a presentation by Kate Brown, author of Plutopia, accompanied by a panel discussion and Q&A with several Hanford Downwinders. The Downwinders became an official part of this commemoration at the last minute after cobbling together enough donations to… Read More »
I Love My Hometown—Radiation and All. I Wish it Loved Me.
This month, in my hometown of Richland, Washington, people are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Manhattan Project–the secret venture that brought us the atomic bomb. The month-long commemoration activities have been planned for years. The event opened with “For Your Eyes Only” — A James Bond-Themed Cold War Party” and includes weekend “Bus Tours… Read More »
Press Release: Kate Brown and Hanford Downwinders in Public Appearance
Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 17, 2013 Kate Brown and Hanford Downwinders in Public Appearance RICHLAND, Wa—Kate Brown, author of Plutopia, will keynote a discussion of the impact of Cold War Era Hanford radiation discharges on people living “Downwind” of the bomb-building facilities. Also speaking are three Downwinders who have become prominent advocates… Read More »
Downwinders Added to Hanford 70th Anniversary
Due to the determination and dedication of a small group of individuals, (children of Hanford workers in addition to those who grew up in communities downwind of Hanford, their friends and supporters), the Downwinders have become part of the Manhattan Project’s 70th Anniversary commemoration agenda. We thank WSU TriCities for logistics and other support. Our… Read More »