13 fascinating, forgotten stories from Los Alamos history

This rich collection features little-known stories from Lab employees, passed down through generations

May 4, 2023

Placeholder Image — Lab employees William Penney, Beatrice Langer, Emil Konopinski and Lawrence Langer in a De Luxe Ford in the 1940s. During World War II top scientists gathered in Los Alamos to contribute to the Manhattan Project — a secret wartime effort to develop the world’s first atomic weapons. Credit to: Los Alamos National Laboratory

Our Laboratory was established in 1943 as Project Y of the Manhattan Project for one purpose: To design and build an atomic bomb to help end World War II. Today’s work — of a much broader scope — is still based on the need to solve national security challenges.

To commemorate Los Alamos National Laboratory’s 80th anniversary, the Public Affairs Office and the Lab’s National Security Research Center produced a special online magazine called the Heritage Series.

It began as a call for employees to share anecdotes about relatives who contributed to the Lab’s legacy and resulted in a surprisingly rich collection of little-known histories.

Read the full article and series on discover.lanl.gov.