The early period of nuclear testing in the atmosphere was a time that
will not be seen again. It was the beginning of an era of unparalleled
scientific activity and of worldwide emotional and intellectual
adjustment to the knowledge that power of unimaginable magnitude, locked
in the nucleus of the atom since the creation of the world, now could be
released at will.
When World War II was ended, the impulse to test the new power was
irresistible. There was profound curiosity about the revolutionary
nature of the new force. There was a perplexed and fearful realization
that the release of energy would have to be guarded and controlled.
There was the knowledge that nuclear fission produced a miscellany of
radioactive products presenting unexplored possibilities of hazard. The
word “fallout” was coined to describe the deposition on the earth of
radioactive debris from nuclear explosions.