# A lot of silver was used to help build the first Atomic bomb **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 11, 2020, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544 "2020-04-11T02:02:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544/21 "2020-04-12T21:10:52Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > He also wrote Dark Sun about the making of the hydrogen bomb. > > Also this book is about the women who worked at Oak Ridge > > [The Girls of Atomic City — Denise Kiernan](https://www.denisekiernan.com/the-girls-of-atomic-city) I met a nice old lady at a Gwar concert who said she worked there during the war. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544/22 "2020-04-12T21:43:55Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I met a nice old lady at a Gwar concert who said she worked there during the war. Did she mention any details? \*Now it Can be Told \*mentioned that many people working there were not aware of what the project would produce. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544/23 "2020-04-12T21:59:54Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Did she mention any details? > \*Now it Can be Told \*mentioned that many people working there were not aware of what the project would produce. I’ll ask the wife. She talked with her more than I did. I was…distracted. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544/24 "2020-04-12T22:24:38Z")
As I mentioned above only the very top people at Oak Ridge knew the real reason for the work. After the A bombs were dropped most of them figured out what they were doing even before they were officially told the truth. One reason they picked Oak Ridge is TVA had a lot of cheap power since it was almost all from dams and it was isolated. Los Alamos was also an isolated area. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544/25 "2020-04-13T00:48:04Z")
That wasn’t the only program affected by the shortage of copper. My radio comms professor told of large navel transmission system with a guard outside the transformer room - all wired with silver. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544/26 "2020-04-13T00:55:04Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > That wasn’t the only program affected by the shortage of copper. My radio comms professor told of large navel transmission system with a guard outside the transformer room - all wired with silver. Hunh. I wonder who came up with the idea first? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544/27 "2020-04-13T01:07:05Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Did she mention any details? > \*Now it Can be Told \*mentioned that many people working there were not aware of what the project would produce. Here’s her response to my inquiry “do you remember any details” “No not really. Except it was the coolest convo ever. And then I took her to the rainbow.” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544/28 "2020-04-13T05:10:45Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I was actually just going to ask about books, thanks. > > I suddenly need to know something about fission for work, so I have homework to do Red answer fast ? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544/29 "2020-04-13T15:26:56Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > One reason they picked Oak Ridge is TVA had a lot of cheap power since it was almost all from dams and it was isolated. Los Alamos was also an isolated area. Same with Hanford where the production reactors were located. Cheap power (thanks Bonneville Power Administration), lots of land (fairly remote), and lots of cooling water. Some day they’ll get the mess cleaned up. Some day… It’s a really cool tour now though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-silver-was-used-to-help-build-the-first-atomic-bomb/851544.md?page=1)