I just ran across an interesting piece of footage...

in the documentary about the atomic tests, and I had always wondered where in the world they got that film of the pine trees "swaying in the blast", and a few breaking off at the base.

Well, those trees were brought down to the test area, and "planted" in deep drilled holes to hold them up. Like posts in a fence, some weren't quite as well "tamped in" as others, some weren't as strong as others.

I was always wondering where that footage came from, how were pine trees filmed? Where were they at? Now I know, they were "transplanted" to the area and "nuked" for the test to see how large, tall trees would react to the blast effects.

 

Yes, I remember that film. One of the most famous nuclear blast effects bits. Good info BD1.

 

I haven't seen it, can you show me a bit of it?

 

If you use the Pathe News section from the British, you can find a number of those films concerning the tests at Yucca Flats north of Las Vegas. And if you goto YouTube, they also have a number of them for you to check out. The one I was referring to at the beginning was from a Netflix documentary DVD I picked up and viewed. I don't know it the scene of the trees being "planted" is on any of those other films. But you might find it somewhere.

Goto:

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=30853

There are a number of very disturbing clips on here and YouTube, our cavalier treatment of the "atomics" is appalling in hindsight.

 

Our treatment of "atomics" is abysmal. The disaster currently in Japan is underreported. Don't think they've stopped the ( I'd bet highly) radioactive water draining into the ocean from the melted reactors. The last bit I could find was from April. You'd think they would announce any progress in stopping the leak if it were to happen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/world/asia/05japan.html