Atomic Pin up Girls – 1950s Las Vegas

Atomic Pin up Girls – 1950s Las Vegas

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In the era of atomic bomb testing, the 1950’s spawned the Atomic pinup – Miss Atomic bomb, of course such things as atomic furniture and various stylings came about and a hot house hold must.

January 27, 1951 the test of an atomic device called “Able” lit up the sky at what was then called the Nevada Proving Ground was the beginning, Over the next four decades, the U.S. Department of Energy conducted 928 nuclear tests (most of them underground) in this 1375-square-mile section of remote desert and mountain terrain.  testing went on for 4 decades.

The site in which they tested atomic bombs were only 1.30 hours from Las Vegas, nicknamed the most bombed place on earth, you see the blast as far away as San Fransisco.

There is so much to be said about these times and the fact was they didn’t know the facts and the dangers of the radiation and effects of cancer.

The people of Las Vegas loved the atomic era in the fifties, and embraced it and Vegas became a commercial destination hotspot and tourists would pay to sit on roof tops of hotels to witness the explosions and the city was basically an Atomic commercialized destination.

Las Vegas turned itself in the Atomic City, and played on it and as such the Atomic pinup girl was born. The ladies who were chosen were pageant winners and models, dancers  from Las Vegas. Miss Atomic 1952 had a tag given to her “radiating loveliness instead of deadly atomic particles.” The atomic pin up girls seemed to have disappeared in 1957, as there was no official body supporting this.

Atmospheric nuclear blasts ended in 1963 thanks to the Limited Test Ban Treaty. However nuclear devices were still being tested until 1992.

There is such a fascination of the Atomic era and you can visit the original  bombing site as a tourist, personally not my thing, I would not feel safe, I do however  suggest visiting the Atomic Museum, this is full of amazing information and films you can see and I especially love the museum shop.