Hard to believe, but it was indeed sixty-one years ago that the world's first atomic device was detonated at the Alamogordo bombing and gunnery range in New Mexico. I've encountered many people who, when the topic "first atomic bomb" is brought up, think of Hiroshima. Nope. The U.S. had to test the scary device first! And scary it was -- some of the scientists working on it thought its detonation would burn off the planet's atmosphere, killing all life!
Yes, the development of atomic power ushered in one of the scariest epochs in human history. We could now kill ourselves completely. However, it also ushered in an era of a whole new type of power -- one which, when taken to the next level, will give humans cheap and unlimited power forever.