The first museum for Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, now Los Alamos National Laboratory, opened in 1954 in an old ice house on the banks of Ashley Pond, but its collection contained classified materials and it was not open to the general public. In 1963, the laboratory opened its Museum and Science Hall to showcase unclassified objects and welcome all visitors. As the collection grew and thousands visited, the Museum and Science Hall moved in 1965 to a larger site at the laboratory's Technical Area 3, where exhibits included the popular “Pinocchio,” a simulated chain reaction using table-tennis balls. In 1970, the museum was renamed for the laboratory's longest-serving director, Norris E. Bradbury, and in 1993 it moved to its present location. Today it explores the laboratory's history, current research, and innovations.

Photo: James Hulse

Los Alamos, New Mexico · USA