September 1957
The United States set off the first underground nuclear test, code-named
Rainier, in a mountain tunnel in the remote desert 100 miles from Las Vegas on
September 19, 1957. Rainier was part of a series, known as Operation Plumbob,
conducted at the Nevada Test Site to test warheads scheduled for production.
Seismic waves from Rainier were detected 2,300 miles away in Alaska.
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