July 16: Online Teach-in About the Trinity Atomic Bomb Test

Almost everyone believes that the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, was the very first nuclear weapon to be detonated, but it was not. The first nuclear explosion occurred with the Trinity bomb, which the US detonated in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945. 

The WILPF US DISARM/End Wars Committee and the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee invite you to an online teach-in on Trinity Day, July 16, 2025. Please register to attend this important event!

The panelists for the Trinity Day teach-in include: 

• Hideko Tamura, a Hiroshima survivor and leader of WILPF 
• Tina Cordova, founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium 
• Mary Yakaitis, a leader of the Downwinders 
• Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research 
• Professor Peter Kuznick, director of the American University Nuclear Studies Institute

There will be a general discussion following the presentations.

The Trinity test laid the groundwork for the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and for the ensuing nuclear arms race that has repeatedly, and once again, brought the world to the precipice of nuclear annihilation. 

To learn more about the impact of the Trinity atomic bomb test, please register to attend the teach-in on July 16!

New Resource: The 80th Anniversaries of the United Nations and the A-Bomb, a Timeline of 1945

During the spring of 2020, while the world was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several DISARM/End Wars Committee members researched the Manhattan Project and the founding of the United Nations. The group created a timeline of important events from 1945 related to this topic. We invite you to explore the results of this project and share the timeline widely with your friends and family. Thank you!

Spread the Word About Your Event Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings

The Physicians for Social Responsibility website features an interactive calendar of nationwide events where you can add your event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If your branch is planning a special event around Aug. 6 or 9 to commemorate these awful attacks that killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, please send the details to disarmchair@wilpfus.org. Upon receiving your submission, we will send toolkits, templates of letters to your Congress members, social media messages, and other resources to support your event. This also helps us keep track of such WILPF events and promote them widely.

The national committee coordinating actions for these 80th anniversaries recommends we use the following four themes during these events: 

1. Remembrance and Reflection

Goal: Honor the past and those affected by nuclear weapons development and use, especially communities in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and nuclear testing zones

2. Hope for a More Peaceful Future

Goal: Inspire positive action; reinforce the possibility of peace and a world without nuclear weapons

3. Intergenerational Learning and Advocacy

Goal: Empower younger generations; nod to the need for sustained advocacy

4. Human Race Over Arms Race: Justice, Responsibility, and Action

Goal: Acknowledge harm, demand accountability, call with one voice for disarmament and justice

The number of Hibakusha, or survivors of the atomic bombings, is dwindling, as many of them are now over 90 years old. In addition to honoring the Hibakusha, we must raise public awareness about the approximately 13,000 nuclear weapons in the possession of nine countries that need to be dismantled. When posting about this issue on social media, please use the hashtags #HumanRaceNotArmsRace and #NeverMoreNuclearWar.

Updated “End the Whole Nuclear Era!” Brochure Available for Download

You might be wondering, “What can I do to advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons?” The DISARM/End Wars Committee has created a brochure full of ideas to support your efforts! You can also share this brochure with the general public. It includes practical suggestions such as promoting legislation that encourages US leadership to abolish nuclear weapons and advocating for reductions in military budgets. 

You can access a PDF version of the brochure here. Please download it and print it using the following settings:

• Poster orientation
• Two-sided
• Flip on short edge on letter-sized paper

Join the DISARM/End Wars Issue Committee

We welcome new members to the DISARM/End Wars Issue Committee! We meet by Zoom on the second and last Sundays of each month at 4:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. ET. To receive the Zoom link and request to join the DISARM listserv, write to disarmchair@wilpfus.org.