Enola gay smithsonian dedication
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Between in 19, the US detonated 1,021 nuclear bombs in the air above and the ground below the desert soil of the 1,360 square mile site. In addition to the atomic tests conducted in the Pacific Proving Ground, the US established a vast nuclear test site on mainland soil known simply as The Nevada Test Site. Similar collections dating to the period following an American invasion are seen throughout the collection, including specimens from Iraq, Afganistan and Pakistan which are still being processed at this time. Its subsequent arrival in the collection of the Smithsonian also indicates its value to American scientist who had not previously collected animal specimens from Japan. This rodent was collected as a part of the effort in monitoring disease that could be passed to people by rodents. During this period soldiers were tasked with activities such as stabilizing the Japanese society, controlling and preventing documentation of the atomic blast and preventing disease outbreaks.
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Tinian became famous later that same year as the departure point for the Enola Gay bomber for its historic flight to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.įollowing the surrender of Japan 27,000 American soldiers occupied the city of Nagasaki and another 40,000 occupied Hiroshima.
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Pictured here is a rodent of the species Rattus exulans who was trapped by US soldiers on the island of Tinian shortly after US seized the island from Japan. At the same time, natural historians are interested in the opportunity to study the organisms of previously inaccessible places. Medics concerned with potential disease vectors collect rodents on site and send them to Washington DC to be analyzed. In many cases, this is result of military entrance to an unfamiliar environment. When scanning the list of place names on the front of each drawer one discerns a bias toward nations with whom the US has fought wars.
ENOLA GAY SMITHSONIAN DEDICATION FULL
The following is an excerpt of the full photo series:Īmong the vast collection of rodents in the Smithsonian one notices that certain localities are particularly well represented. In this collection, hidden in plain sight, is the history of America, told by skins and skulls.
ENOLA GAY SMITHSONIAN DEDICATION ARCHIVE
government employees compulsively organize, document, and store objects into the vast archive of State memory. Each tells a tale of rodent life, human culture, and the government of the United States of America. The rodents in this exhibit found their way into the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History via several different paths.