Today, when we think of nuclear power, we might think of energy, or an arms race, or the incredibly tragic Fukushima nuclear disaster – which occurred two years ago today.
But seventy years ago – before there was a Fukishima, or an Indian Point, or a Cold War – there was the notion that a nuclear bomb could make us free from fascism.
It came from an idea that the Manhattan Project sprung in 1942. Located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee – a secret city that existed on no maps – the Manhattan Project employed nearly 130,000 people, most notably, physicist Robert Oppenheimer.
But while scientists like Oppenheimer usually get the attention when we talk about the Manhattan Project, there were thousands of young women from all walks of life who also played a major role in supporting the project and the city of Oak Ridge. The new book, “The Girls of Atomic City,” centers on their stories. Denise Kiernan is the author.