Exhibits

At the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, we are continually grateful for the support our patrons, members, and contributors give us, as well as the actual objects which are donated or acquired by the museum into its permanent collection of artifacts. Please see below for some of the most exciting objects the Curatorial Department added to our catalogue in the past month.

Topaz Earrings

This pair of irradiated blue topaz stud earrings was recently donated to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History by Mary Walker, from a family estate. Ms. Walker was happy to have them added to the museum's collection, as a relative of hers had purchased these in the 1980s. It was discovered in the early 1970s that if pieces of colorless topaz (which was inexpensive due to its abundance) were treated with high-energy gamma or electron radiation, it would turn a beautiful blue color.

Alamogordo Blockbuster

Although the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History preserves many newspapers in its collection, this is the museum's lone issue of the Alamogordo Blockbuster. Because of the fragile nature of this object, as well as how rare this publication appears to be, the museum's team digitized all four pages of this issue, detailing the aftermath of V-J (Victory over Japan) Day. Three of the four pages are shared below.

Note the barely legible handwritten note in the upper left-hand corner of the first page: "Save this paper for me." This paper was donated by Jeffrey Bosslett, whose father, Edward Walter Bosslett, was stationed at Alamogordo, New Mexico during WWII.