In August 1945, in the waning days of World War II, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on cities in Japan. Four years later, the Soviet Union tested its first atomic weapon, and the Cold War began.
Nuclear testing made its way to Mississippi through the detonation of two nuclear devices outside of Hattiesburg. The first test, Project Salmon, occurred in October 1964 and, roughly two years later, Project Sterling followed, which used a smaller bomb in the cavity left behind by the first blast.
Atomic Alert!: Confronting ‘The Bomb’ in the New Atomic Age, is a free traveling exhibition that explores the history of the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) established to prepare Americans for the perils of the new Atomic Age.
Visitors to the exhibit can immerse themselves in the era with Mississippi artifacts that tell the story of the state’s response to nuclear threat.
Now Open
Programs
September 25—History Is Lunch: David Allen Burke, “Atomic Testing in Mississippi”
October 9—History Is Lunch: Michael Scheibach, "Protecting the Home Front: Women in Civil Defense"
October 10— Gallery Talk: Michael Scheibach, “Living with the Atomic Bomb: 1945-1965”
October 22— Gallery Talk: Jonathan Leard