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  • Summer of Trinity Again - Week ending June 30, 1945

    Summer of Trinity Again - Week ending June 30, 1945
    2026/06/24
    Re-running Summer of Trinity, this time with episodes released at the start of their respective weeks rather than the end. Just for a different perspective. June 24 to June 30, 1945 This is Summer of Trinity, for the week ending Saturday June 30th, 1945. Sunday, June 24,1945 - 22 Days Before Trinity https://stanislavs.org/victory-parade-in-moscow-on-june-24-1945/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_Moscow_Victory_Parade Monday, June 25,1945 - 21 Days Before Trinity Let There Be Light - assigned to John Huston on June 25 1945 https://catalog.afi.com/Film/24480-LET-THEREBELIGHT?sid=f9d82931-bb26-4320-ab6d-68db16b9b687&sr=16.411694&cp=1&pos=0 Tuesday, June 26,1945 - 20 Days Before Trinity https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-n-charter-signed While the war continued, and there was certainly concerns of all sorts that it might not be over soon - that Operation Downfall might be necessary, a full amphibious invasion of Japan to occupy and subordinate it on bayonet and rifle - there were definite expectations of hope. When representatives of 50 nations came to San Francisco to sign the Charter of the United Nations, it was about the peace after, even if the peace hadn't arrived, yet. It will take some time yet for the headquarters to be built, the general assembly brought together, for it to be a significant part of world diplomacy, but this day is the start of the United Nations. Wednesday, June 27,1945 - 19 Days Before Trinity Undersecretary of the Navy Ralph A. Bard sends the following memorandum concerning the use of the atomic bomb. argues that the Japanese should be given some warning ahead of the use of the weapon. https://www.atomicarchive.com/resources/documents/manhattan-project/bard-memo.html Thursday, June 28,1945 - 18 Days Before Trinity The Ford Willow Run line produces its last B-24 Liberator https://www.motorcities.org/story-of-the-week/2021/remember-ford-motor-company-s-post-war-years-1946-1955 https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/expert-sets/101765 https://detroithistorical.org/things-do/events-calendar/events-listing/story-willow-run "One every 55 minutes" https://ss.sites.mtu.edu/mhugl/2015/10/11/willow-run-b24-liberator/ "The Flying Coffin" https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/watch-fords-willow-run-plant-churn-out-a-b-24-every-55-minutes/ "The story of willow run" on Youtube https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/willow-run-airplane-plant/ "44-51928 was flown directly to a storage facility, then later, to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation site at Kingman, Arizona, where it was scrapped." The picture of 44-51928 shows very small but distinct shadows, indicating that it did in fact get rolled out right around noon. Friday, June 29,1945 - 17 Days Before Trinity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Magic_Carpet - return of personnel from Europe begins. Saturday, June 30,1945 - 16 Days Before Trinity https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/okinawa/ https://80.stripes.com/archives/sure-campaigns-over-dont-forget-mop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa Okinawa area (per Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_Island Area 1,199[1] km2 (463 sq mi) as of 1 October 2018[2] Honshu area (ditto) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honshu Area 227,960[1] km2 (88,020 sq mi) Summer of Trinity is a part of Mapping History here on The Latest Generation.
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    11 分
  • Summer of Trinity Again - Week ending June 23, 1945

    Summer of Trinity Again - Week ending June 23, 1945
    2026/06/18

    Re-running Summer of Trinity, this time with episodes released at the start of their respective weeks rather than the end.

    Just for a different perspective.

    June 17 to June 23, 1945

    This is Summer of Trinity, for the week ending Saturday June 23, 1945.

    Sunday, June 17,1945 - 29 Days Before Trinity

    It's the 78th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    https://archive.org/details/FirstBoxingMatchesOnOkinawa

    Monday, June 18,1945 - 28 Days Before Trinity

    It's the 79th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Bolivar_Buckner_Jr.

    The American submarine USS Bonefish was sunk in Toyama Bay by Japanese warships.

    Although it still has not been scheduled, the Trinity test is now 4 weeks away.

    Tuesday, June 19,1945 - 27 Days Before Trinity

    It is the 80th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Mayfield

    https://catalog.archives.gov/id/205583221

    Wednesday, June 20,1945 - 26 Days Before Trinity

    It is the 81st day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    http://www.v2rocket.com/start/chapters/backfire.html

    Return of troops on June 20 - picture came from this tweet.

    https://twitter.com/HistoryInPics/status/1483460234307850249

    Thursday, June 21,1945 - 25 Days Before Trinity

    It is the 82nd day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    After being decommissioned due to extensive damage suffered a month earlier, The American destroyer USS Barry was being towed to a location where it would serve as a decoy for Japanese kamikaze attacks. It was sunk northwest of Okinawa by a Japanese kamikaze attack. It is the n+3rd Allied ship sunk since the capitulation of Nazi Germany.

    Friday, June 22,1945 - 24 Days Before Trinity

    Okinawa is captured after 83 days of battle. The defending generals commit seppuku. Emperor Hirohito tells his counselors that he is interested in concrete plans to end the war.

    https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa

    Percy Faith and his Orchestra record "Capullito_de_aleli" for Decca records in New York, New York

    https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000301162/72945-Capullito_de_aleli

    Eisenhower approves a project where German rocket engineers will launch a V-2, with a dummy warhead, to show the Allies how they worked and what was needed for a successful launch.

    Stalin announces a military parade, cerebrating the victory over Nazi Germany to be held in Moscow two days later, on June 24th.

    Saturday, June 23,1945 - 23 Days Before Trinity

    Kid who survived freezing experiments at Dachau - literally chopped out of ice seven times.

    https://www.dearfolksies.com/dachau-concentration-camp-june-6-june-26-1945/6/
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    10 分
  • Summer of Trinity Again - Week ending June 16, 1945

    Summer of Trinity Again - Week ending June 16, 1945
    2026/06/10
    Re-running Summer of Trinity, this time with episodes released at the start of their respective weeks rather than the end. Just for a different perspective. June 10 to June 16, 1945 This is Summer of Trinity, for the week ending Saturday June 16, 1945. Sunday, June 10,1945 - 36 Days Before Trinity It's the 71st day of the Battle of Okinawa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_William_D._Porter_(DD-579) Monday, June 11,1945 - 35 Days Before Trinity It's the 72nd day of the Battle of Okinawa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Miles_McCool Tuesday, June 12,1945 - 34 Days Before Trinity It is the 73rd day of the Battle of Okinawa. General Eisenhower receives the "Freedom of the City" at London's Guildhall. This symbolic act, with seven hundred years of history behind it, makes him "a citizen of the city." https://www.nps.gov/articles/general-eisenhower.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franck_Report Wednesday, June 13,1945 - 33 Days Before Trinity It is the 74th day of the Battle of Okinawa. Thursday, June 14,1945 - 32 Days Before Trinity It is the 75th day of the Battle of Okinawa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Inmate Friday, June 15,1945 - 31 Days Before Trinity It is the 76th day of the Battle of Okinawa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calutron (How they enriched U-235 for Little Boy) https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/science-behind-atom-bomb Saturday, June 16,1945 - 30 Days Before Trinity It's the 77th day of the Battle of Okinawa. The Science Panel, headed by Robert Oppenheimer, and also including Enrico Fermi, Ernest O. Lawrence and Arthur H. Compton, gives the following report, classified Top Secret, to the Interim Committee: The report is titled "RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE IMMEDIATE USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS" and begins as follows: [Note to self - some emphasis included here to assist in reading as a script, but there's no font differences in the original.] You have asked us to comment on the initial use of the new weapon. This use, in our opinion, should be such as to promote a satisfactory adjustment of our international relations. At the same time, we recognize our obligation to our nation to use the weapons to help save American lives in the Japanese war. (1) To accomplish these ends we recommend that before the weapons are used not only Britain, but also Russia, France, and China be advised that we have made considerable progress in our work on atomic weapons, that these may be ready to use during the present war, and that we would welcome suggestions as to how we can cooperate in making this development contribute to improved international relations. (2) The opinions of scientific colleagues on the initial use of these weapons are not unanimous; they range from the proposal of a purely technical demonstration to that of the military application best designed to induce surrender. Those who advocate a purely technical demonstration would wish to outlaw the use of atomic weapons, and have feared that if we use the weapons now our position in future negotiations will be prejudiced. Others emphasize the opportunity of saving American lives by immediate military use, and believe that such use will improve the international prospects, in that they are more concerned with the prevention of war than with the elimination of this specific weapon. We find ourselves closer to these latter views; we can propose no technical demonstration likely to bring an end to the war; we see no acceptable alternative to direct military use. (3) With regard to these general aspects of the use of atomic energy, it is clear that we, as scientific men, have no proprietary rights. It is true that we are among the few citizens who have had occasion to give thoughtful consideration to these problems during the past few years. We have, however, no claim to special competence in solving the political, social, and military problems which are presented by the advent of atomic power. The report is signed by Robert Oppenheimer, with the note "for the panel" https://www.atomicarchive.com/resources/documents/manhattan-project/interim-committee.html As this week ends, the Trinity atomic bomb test has not yet been scheduled. However, it is exactly 30 days away. Summer of Trinity is a part of Mapping History here on The Latest Generation.
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    17 分
  • Summer of Trinity Again - Week Ending June 9, 1945

    Summer of Trinity Again - Week Ending June 9, 1945
    2026/06/03

    Re-running Summer of Trinity, this time with episodes released at the start of their respective weeks rather than the end.

    Just for a different perspective.

    Summer of Trinity is a daily look at the summer of 1945, when the Second World War ended.

    June 3, 1945. Sunday.

    It is the 64th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    June 4, 1945. Monday.

    It is the 65th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    Churchill's Gestapo speech

    June 5, 1945. Tuesday

    It is the 66th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    June 6, 1945. Wednesday

    It is the 67th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    It is the one-year anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Normandy that culminated one month ago in the surrender of Germany.

    Dr. Bine's letters can be found at dearfolksies.com

    https://www.dearfolksies.com/dachau-concentration-camp-june-6-june-26-1945/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_concentration_camp

    June 7, 1945. Thursday

    It is the 68th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    Didn't include Robert M. McTureous, Jr, but he has a story of his own.

    June 8, 1945. Friday

    It is one month since the surrender of Germany.

    It is the 69th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Salute_(AM-294)

    On Okinawa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Faulkner_Lester dies in combat for actions for which he would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor

    June 9, 1945. Saturday

    A classified document is created within the United States War department, named "Installations in Japan Not To Be Bombed."

    http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/recovery/Installations_in_Japan_Not_To_Be_Bombed_1945-06-09.pdf

    As this week ends, the Trinity atomic bomb test has not yet been scheduled. However, it is only 37 days away.

    Summer of Trinity is a part of Mapping History here on The Latest Generation.
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    15 分
  • Summer of Trinity Again - Week Ending June 2, 1945

    Summer of Trinity Again - Week Ending June 2, 1945
    2026/05/31

    Re-running Summer of Trinity, this time with episodes released at the start of their respective weeks rather than the end.

    Just for a different perspective.

    A look at each day between Memorial Day and Labor Day, 1945 - the six weeks on either side of the Trinity test on July 16.

    (For future weeks, we'll have an entry for each day, but we already did May 1945 in the previous episode.)

    May 30, 1945. Wednesday. Memorial Day. It is the 60th day of the Battle of Okinawa

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_Day

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

    May 31, 1945. Thursday. It is the 61st day of the battle of Okinawa

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_B._Craft

    June 1, 1945 Friday. It is the 62nd day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    Times around the world, as the meeting of the Interim Committee starts, 11AM in Washington DC

    https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/research-files/notes-meeting-interim-committee?documentid=NA&pagenumber=9

    The members of the Interim Committee include (not a complete list)

    Mr. George H. Bucher, President of Westinghouse - manufacture of equipment for the electromagnetic process.

    Mr.Walter S. Carpenter, President of Du Pont Company - construction of the Hanford Project.

    Mr. James Rafferty, Vice President of Union Carbide - construction and operation of gas diffusion plant in Clinton.

    Mr. James White, President of Tennessee Eastman - production of basic chemicals and construction of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-12_National_Security_Complex

    The committee also discussed how difficult it would be for the Soviet Union to replicate the work that had been done on the atomic bomb.

    https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/research-files/notes-meeting-interim-committee?documentid=NA&pagenumber=4
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    34 分
  • Summer of Trinity Again - May 1945

    Summer of Trinity Again - May 1945
    2026/05/31

    A introduction to the state of the world in May 1945, as part of a re-run of Summer of Trinity.

    • FDR is dead.
    • Truman is President, only three months after he became vice-president.
    • The Battle of Okinawa is ongoing - it had started on April 1st.
    • USS Indianapolis is in San Francisco for repairs from a kamikaze attack in the waters around Okinawa, just before the invasion began.
    • The USSR has just ended its non-agression pact with the Empire of Japan.
    • Mussoline is dead, killed on April 28
    • Hitler is dead by suicide on April 30.
    • Nazi Germany is defeated on May 8.
    • The long-term coalition government in the UK ends with the victory over Germany.
    • Churchill has requested that elections be held, around the beginning of July.
    • In Los Alamos, the Manhattan Project team awaits deliveries of uranium and plutonium to use in their Little Boy and Fat Man designs.
    • And although nobody realizes it for certain, the war is nearly over.
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    12 分
  • Summer of Trinity Again - Intro

    Summer of Trinity Again - Intro
    2026/05/31

    Summer of Trinity is a look at the summer of 1945, between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Halfway between those dates, on July 16, was the Trinity atomic weapon test - but a lot was happening all around the world, during the 6 weeks before and after Trinity.

    That's what this series will be about.
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    2 分
  • Lucas Birthday Edition - Lucas Portrait

    Lucas Birthday Edition - Lucas Portrait
    2026/05/14

    This is just for fun, with no real generational connection except that both Abraham Lincoln and George Lucas are from Prophet generations. (Boom for Lucas, Transcendental for Lincoln.) And, as such, it's not surprising that a similar arrangement works for both of them.

    If you like Star Wars and Aaron Copland, you may enjoy it.

    Fun fact: George Lucas' birthday is May 14, 1944, which was the two-year anniversary of the premiere of Lincoln Portrait.

    Here's where I found the quotations:

    The first two are from different sections of a look back at The Phantom Menace:

    https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-oral-history)

    The "barbarians" quote is from testimony before the Senate in March 1988 - here's the text I used, from Wikisource: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1988_George_Lucas_testimony_before_United_States_Senate

    It's not clear that Lucas every actually said the thing about the sledgehammer, but it turns out the fourth section in Lincoln Portrait isn't well sourced either. And in both cases, it's certainly something they might have said.

    I originally found the last bit here:

    https://www.biography.com/news/george-lucas-star-wars-facts

    But it turns out it was from a New York Times interview of George Lucas while he was FILMING Star Wars in 1976.

    https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/12/archives/from-american-graffiti-to-outer-space.html

    It's well worth the read.
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    5 分