We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and, to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’ I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.’ – J. Robert Oppenheimer on the first artificial nuclear explosion
Below is one of the most magnificent and chilling pictures that I’ve ever come across. Goes to show that human beings are just as capable of destroying as they are creating. I hope we’ll use our knowledge for the latter.
1953 Nevada Nuclear Test (Courtesy of LIFE)
Duck and cover at randomtidbitsofthought.wordpress.com.
