No, not the character from The Matrix, but the test of the first atomic bomb. Sixty years ago today.
I've been fascinated by the history of the Manhattan Project, most particularly the story of the physicists, mathematicians, and technicians at Los Alamos: men like Richard Feynman, Hans Bethe, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Philip Morrison, and others, brilliant scientists who focused their prodigious talents to form one of the most remarkable teams of all time. Studying, even honoring, their accomplishments in no way glorifies the bomb itself. Years ago, when I first read Richard Rhodes' The Making of the Atomic Bomb, my first wife was aghast at the idea that I would even read about it, as if studying the history implied approval of using The Bomb. She didn't understand the concept of studying history so we don't have to repeat it.
I toyed with the idea of going to the Trinity site today, but the idea of tromping around in the desert in mid-July with my bad feet just didn't appeal to me. So I'm simply remembering and reflecting, and checking out a couple of Web sites on the subject:
12:32:59 PM 
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