Did these tourists really witness the test of an atomic bomb? A vacation photo supposedly shows exactly this.
We received requests for a photo to be shared on Facebook. Supposedly it's a vacation photo from the 1960s, taken in the Nevada desert.
Nothing unusual in and of itself if there wasn't a monstrous mushroom cloud visible in the background:
Were these people actually present when this bomb went off?
A fact check
Unfortunately, it was not possible to determine who the people pictured were, nor where exactly they were standing. However, they pose a little too relaxed to believe what is apparently happening behind them.
The shape of the mushroom cloud would fit Nevada, however, because on May 25, 1953, at 3:30 p.m., a nuclear artillery shell called a “Grable” was tested fired from a gun. There is archived footage that corresponds exactly to the mushroom cloud that can be seen in the vacation photo. The test was carried out in an operation called “ Upshot Knothole ”. This term refers to a series of tests of nuclear weapons with a total of 11 bombs, seven of which were dropped close to the ground and three from aircraft.
The tests were carried out at the Nevada Test Site. According to The Guardian , tourists are not allowed in this area to pickle and take photos through the desert on their own during the tests:
The government still carries out classified work on the site, and access is limited to a small number of carefully vetted visitors each year, who are not allowed to take photographs. The Guardian was given extremely rare access to film at the site.
The government still carries out secret work on the site, and access is limited to a small number of carefully vetted visitors each year who are not allowed to take photographs.
The Guardian was given extremely rare access to films at this location. (*Translation with the help of DeepL )
However, as with other test series, numerous measuring instruments, sheep and other animals were placed in the target area in order to be able to assess the effects of the detonation wave and the radiation - no tourists included.
Back to the appearance of the mushroom cloud. He can also be seen “in action” in this report on the operation:
If you still have doubts that this vacation photo wasn't manipulated, you should take a look at this tweet:
It's a clever paste job, but the mushroom cloud is lassoed out from a very well known nuclear test photo. Observe: pic.twitter.com/0Ush8w5CYz
— PicPedant (@PicPedant) October 18, 2017
Here the mushroom cloud of the “Grable” artillery shell is made into the holiday photo.
Result:
The vacation photo was manipulated and the mushroom cloud was added later.
This is a test of a nuclear artillery shell during Operation Upshot Knothole.
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )


