On This Day

US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...

The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion of Nye County, Nevada, about 65 mi (105 km) northwest of the city of Las Vegas.

Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Grounds of the United States Army, the site was acquired in 1951 to be the testing venue for the American nuclear devices. The first atmospheric test was conducted at the site's Frenchman Flat area by the United States Atomic Energy Commission (USAEC) on January 27, 1951. About 928 nuclear tests were conducted here through 1992, when the United States stopped its underground nuclear testing.

The site consists of about 1,350 sq mi (3,500 km2) of desert and mountainous terrain.

Historical Significance

The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion of Nye County, Nevada, about 65 mi (105 km) northwest of the city of Las Vegas.

Events Before

  1. TV game show "Wheel of Fortune" debuts on NBC

    Wheel of Fortune (often known simply as Wheel) is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show has aired continuously since January 6, 1975.

  2. Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor (57) weds toy inventor Jack Ryan (48) (div. 1976)

    Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor (57) weds toy inventor Jack Ryan (48) (div. 1976)

  3. Margaret Thatcher defeats Edward Heath for leadership of the British Conservative Party

    Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990.

  4. Colour television transmission begins in Australia

    Television broadcasting in Australia began officially on 16 September 1956, with the opening of TCN-9, quickly followed by national and commercial stations in Sydney and Melbourne, all these being in…

  5. "Mirror," a Russian film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and starring Margarita Terekhova and Ignat Daniltsev, is released

    Mirror is a 1975 Soviet avant-garde drama film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and written by Tarkovsky and Aleksandr Misharin.

Events After

  1. Erroll Garner dies

    Erroll Garner dies

  2. Belgium undergoes a major municipal reorganization and reapportions 2,359 communities into 596

    Belgium undergoes a major municipal reorganization and reapportions 2,359 communities into 596

  3. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs incorporate Apple Computer, Inc.

    Apple Inc., originally Apple Computer, Inc., is an American multinational corporation that creates and markets consumer electronics and attendant computer software, and is a digital distributor of…

  4. American film director Martin Scorsese (34) divorces Julia Cameron (28) after 1 year of marriage

    Megalopolis is a 2024 American epic science fiction drama film written, directed, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola.

  5. Miniseries "Roots" premieres on ABC

    Miniseries "Roots" premieres on ABC

More from the 1970s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 3, 1976?
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion of Nye County, Nevada, about 65 mi (105 km) northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Grounds of the United States Army, the site was acquired in 1951 to be the testing venue for the American nuclear devices. The first atmospheric test was conducted at the site's Frenchman Flat area by the United States Atomic Energy Commission (USAEC) on January 27, 1951.
Why is US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site significant?
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion of Nye County, Nevada, about 65 mi (105 km) northwest of the city of Las Vegas.

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