This month, national author Denise Kiernan gave a wonderful talk at the American Museum of Science and Energy. Ms. Kiernan was in town to discuss her new book, “Girls of the Atomic City—The Untold Story of Women Who Helped Win World War II.”
The book made the New York Times best seller list.
Ms. Kiernan’s book chronicles the fascinating stories of the many women who came to Oak Ridge between 1943 and 1945 during the Manhattan Project. It’s great to see these pioneers recognized for their important contributions.
Her often-humorous talk revealed many insights gained from writing the book. Included was the insight that few today know of our city’s existence.
At receptions for Ms. Kiernan’s book in Washington D.C. and New York City, people pointedly asked whether Oak Ridge still exists. They also wondered whether there was anything left to see if they visited our city. Ms. Kiernan has heard similar questions from fans in Europe and Asia.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Oak Ridge was the site of world-changing events. It was one of three secret cities created by the Manhattan Project. It was by far the largest secret city, growing to 75,000 people by 1945. Substantially more money was spent on Oak Ridge than on any other Manhattan Project site. Oak Ridge was the Manhattan Project headquarters.
The Manhattan Project itself laid the groundwork for much of our modern technology. Spacecraft have explored our solar system thanks to Oak Ridge’s pioneering work. Nuclear medicine has saved countless lives. Oak Ridge was the birth place of America’s nuclear navy.
Today, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is home to one of the world’s fastest supercomputers.
Beyond all this, the Manhattan Project appears to have ended global warfare.
We’ve come nearly a century without a World War III. That’s an incredible achievement, considering that only two decades separated World Wars I and II.
Few places on earth have had the historic impact of our beautiful community.
Thanks to Ms. Kiernan’s efforts, the fascinating story of Oak Ridge’s women will live on. Be sure to check out her recent PBS interview (available on YouTube) and her great new book.
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