While nowadays, most people in their right minds wouldn't want to be anywhere near a radioactive blast, the same could not be said of our mid-century forefathers. Throughout the '40s and '50s, "Atomic Tourists" headed to Nevada from far and wide to catch a blinding glimpse of a nuclear test.
From a ballet dancer pirouetting with the bomb to guests at a Las Vegas hotel enjoying the nuclear ambiance of a day at the pool, here are 17 photos of people staring at nuclear explosions.
1
Troops gather 'round to watch a nuclear test, 1951.
4
"On July 19, 1957, five men stood at Ground Zero of an atomic test that was being conducted at the Nevada Test Site."
6
Tourists look down upon a crater from a past nuclear test, 1962.
7
Camera people film an atomic test, date unknown
8
Filmmakers capture an explosion at the Nevada test site, 1957.
9
A mother and her son watch an atomic explosion from the comfort of their Las Vegas home, 1951.
10
Canadian and British witnesses watch a nuclear test in Nevada, April 1955.
11
Solders sit while witnessing a massive explosion in Nevada.
12
Folks gather to watch a Desert Rock exercise, date unknown.
13
Air Force officers watch h a nuclear bomb detonate roughly 18,500 feet in the air, circa July 1957.
14
Soldiers place their hands alongside a mushroom cloud in Nevada in May, 1952.
15
“Atomic Tourists” watch a bomb detonate near Las Vegas, Nevada.
16
A nuclear explosion detonates over the Las Vegas skyline, June 1957.
17
Photographers take in all the blinding sights of a nuclear blast — date unknown.
18
Guests at Hotel Last Frontier in Las Vegas witness an explosion from the pool.
19
Ballerina Sally McCloskey strikes a pose with an atomic explosion detonating 40 miles away.
20
Folks at Hotel Last Frontier watch another explosion from the pool, 1953.
21
NATO folks gather to watch a nuclear test outside of Las Vegas, 1957.
