Operation Crossroads

Now, that double meaning belongs to a broader atomic age habit of mixing Hollywood glamour with weapons.

The bomb used in Operation Crossroads' first test was named Gilda, after Rita Hayworth's film character, reportedly to her disgust.

By 1953, the word bombshell already meant more than an explosive casing.

In show business slang, it described a woman whose beauty arrived like an impact.

Admiral William F. Halsey Jr., or Bull as he was known, oversaw operations as his old warship, the Independence, was one of those selected as a target vessel for the tests.

Tagged the Pacific Proving Grounds, the bomb testing area saw the first detonation on the 1st of July 1946 in Operation Crossroads.

The idea of using ships as targets instead of detonating the bombs on land was to see what the effect atomic weapons would have on naval fleets.

And the plane carrying the bombs was loaded with livestock, including goats, sheep, and mice, again to see what effects the blast and resulting radiation would have on the animals.

The sources reveal a detail that completely complicates his motivations.

The military brass at Los Alamos, and even Julius Rosenberg himself, urged David to participate in Operation Crossroads.

Ah, the nuclear tests.

Right.

So this is after the war, like we said, and is 1946 now.

And the United States conducts the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests or Operation Crossroads.

And guess who's caught in the crossfire of the crossroads?

Our 50-foot tall monster.