On July 16, 1945, the research and development efforts of the nation’s once-secret Manhattan Project were realized when the detonation of the world’s first atomic device occurred in Alamogordo, N.M., more than 200 miles south of Los Alamos, in what was code-named the Trinity Test—a name inspired by the poems of John Donne.

On the 75th anniversary of this landmark event, the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) is highlighting the cleanup, long-term management, and historical significance of the Manhattan Project sites—Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Hanford, Wash.—that were conceived, built, and operated in secrecy as they supported weapons development during World War II.

Visitors explore the exhibits and interactive displays at the K-25 History Center at Oak Ridge. Photo: DOE

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its contractor URS/CH2M Oak Ridge hosted a ribbon-­cutting ceremony on February 27 for the new K-­25 History Center on the site of the former uranium enrichment plant. Located next to the original foundation for the K-­25 building, the center was built to honor and preserve the stories of the workers who constructed and operated the K-­25 complex during World War II and the Cold War.