Tag Archives: Atomic bomb

This Week in Princeton History for July 19-25

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, local stations “dim out” to help the state prepare for nuclear attack, the Board of Trustees decides on building materials for Nassau Hall, and more.

July 19, 1875—Maine’s Portland Daily Press reassures spectators of the Saratoga boat race that George D. Parmly of the Princeton crew does not have epilepsy, but just fainted from exhaustion and sleep deprivation.

July 20, 1956—The local regular radio and television stations pause for a “dim-out” as part of “Operation Alert 1956” by the New Jersey Civil Defense. The only broadcasts will be on civil defense wavelengths. This communications test is part of the state’s preparations for the possibility of nuclear attack.

July 22, 1754—The Board of Trustees vote that “the College be built of Brick if good Brick can be made at Princeton & if Sand can be got reasonably cheap.” Ultimately, Nassau Hall will be made of stone.

Nassau Hall as it appeared in New American Magazine, March 1760. Local quarries supplied stone for many of Princeton’s buildings over the centuries. Nassau Hall was built of local sandstone. Nassau Hall Iconography Collection (AC177), Box 1.

July 23, 1825—Students attend a meeting of the New Jersey Colonization Society.

For the previous installment in this series, click here.

Fact check: We always strive for accuracy, but if you believe you see an error, please contact us.

Lawrence Rauch *49 and Operation Crossroads: Atomic Testing at Bikini Atoll

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By Rosalba Varallo Recchia

This post is part of a series on education and war related to our current exhibition, “Learning to Fight, Fighting to Learn: Education in Times of War,” on display through June 2018. Please stop by to learn more.

Lawrence Rauch *49, a mathematics graduate student and a research assistant in physics, concentrated on radio telemetry while at Princeton.  He lived in the Graduate College near John Tukey, Rauch’s mentor during this time. Richard Feynman also lived nearby. Rauch was passionate about his studies, but World War II affected his academic experience. He won the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship in 1942, but due to his involvement in war research had to turn it down. Throughout the war, Rauch worked on defense related projects–which had the added benefit of keeping him out of the draft. He was chosen among five other members of the University to attend the first series of post-war nuclear testing being conducted in the Pacific Ocean by the Joint Army and Navy Task Force at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in 1946.

Lawrence Rausch *49’s ROTC portrait. Lawrence Rausch Papers (AC393), Box 2, Folder 10.

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This Week in Princeton History for December 11-17

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In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, an atomic bomb survivor speaks on campus, a numismatist gives a lecture to women in town about an archaeological dig, and more.

December 11, 1995—Hiroshima bombing survivor Michiko Yamaoka tells an audience in a crowded McCormick 101 about her experience with the world’s first nuclear attack and its aftermath and why she believes the weapons must never be used. Saying her hatred for the United States and Japan for going to war has been replaced by a hatred for war itself, she instead urges communication. “I realized how important it was to meet people across boundaries that had separated us, to have a meeting of the hearts.”

Melted roof tile from Hiroshima University. Atomic-Bombed Roof Tiles from Hiroshima University (AC408), Box 1. To read more about the impact of the blast in Hirsohima, see our previous blog post. To learn more about Princeton University’s involvement in the development of the atomic bomb, visit our current exhibition on display through June 2018.

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This Week in Princeton History for June 20-26

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In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the first collegiate track contest is held on campus, Japanese visitors ceremonially forgive scientists for their role in the development of the atomic bomb, and more.

June 20, 1779—William Richardson Davie (Class of 1776) leads a charge against the British at the Battle of Stono Ferry. He is wounded and falls off his horse, but evades capture.

June 21, 1873—The first collegiate track contest in the United States is held at the College of New Jersey (Princeton).

Caledonian_Games_June_21_AC042_Box_17

Program from Caledonian Games, College of New Jersey (Princeton), June 21, 1873. Athletic Programs Collection (AC042), Box 17, Folder 1.

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Remembering the Atomic Bomb, 70 Years Later

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In 2012, Hiroshima University gave Princeton University seven roof tiles that were damaged during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The details of the gift can be found here. Three years later, the tiles have been brought out into our lobby display case to mark the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb.

The roof tiles serve as a physical reminder of the devastation that occurred in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The roof tiles serve as a physical reminder of the devastation that occurred in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The scorched roof tiles are not the only items in the Mudd Manuscript Library that tell the story of the atomic bomb. Both the University Archives and the Public Policy Papers contain documents that detail the creation of the bomb and the attempts to reconcile the implications of its use. Continue reading →