Abstract
The Edward G. Halligan Photograph Collection on the Nevada Test Site contains photographs of nuclear detonations at the Nevada Test Site from the 1960s. The photographs primarily depict aboveground nuclear explosions, but they also contain photographs of facilities, machinery, and personnel at the Nevada Test Site.
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Date
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Scope and Contents Note
The Edward G. Halligan Photograph Collection on the Nevada Test Site contains photographs of nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) from the 1960s, during which time Halligan worked in the Las Vegas, Nevada office of the United States Atomic Energy Commission (USAEC) as operations coordinator for the NTS. The photographs primarily depict aboveground nuclear explosions, but they also contain photographs of facilities, machinery, and personnel at the Nevada Test Site.
Access Note
Collection is open for research. Some collection material has been digitized and is available online.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged by media type.
Biographical / Historical Note
The Nevada Test Site (NTS) is in Nye County and is 65 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada. Between 1951 and 1992, 928 atmospheric and underground nuclear tests were held at the NTS. When the test site was first established, it was managed by the Atomic Energy Commission, but the U.S. Department of Energy now operates the site.
President Harry S. Truman authorized use of the NTS for nuclear testing in 1951 because the NTS had favorable weather and was more accessible than previous testing sites, including Bikini Atoll and Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Although the NTS was close to Las Vegas and other communities in Nevada, and atmospheric tests could be seen from Las Vegas, the military largely dismissed the possible health hazards that nuclear radiation posed to Nevada residents. Tests conducted by the United States Atomic Energy Commission in the early 1960s, medical reports in the 1970s, and subsequent lawsuits showed that radiation did in fact affect many residents in Nevada and neighboring states.
In 1963, the United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom agreed to the Partial Test Ban Treaty, which prevented further atmospheric tests; consequently, the last atmospheric test at the NTS was held in 1962. The last underground test happened three decades later in 1992. In October of 1992, a moratorium temporarily ended all testing. In 1993, 108 countries agreed to the Test Ban Treaty, and though the U.S. did not agree, it has honored the articles by ceasing nuclear tests.
Source:
Moore, Alan. “Nevada Test Site Overview.” Online Nevada Encyclopedia. March 18, 2010. http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/nevada-test-site-overview
Preferred Citation
Edward G. Halligan Photograph Collection on the Nevada Test Site, approximately 1960-1969. PH-00101. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1978 by Edward G. Halligan via Irma Halligan; accession number 1978-192.
Processing Note
Materials were processed by Special Collections staff. In 2015, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Lindsay Oden wrote the collection description in compliance with current professional standards.