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“Oppenheimer” Brings Attention Back To Las Vegas

The movie “Oppenheimer” seems to be bringing back attention to Las Vegas. The movie itself is based on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer. A young scientist at the time…

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The movie "Oppenheimer" seems to be bringing back attention to Las Vegas. The movie itself is based on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer. A young scientist at the time that ended up being responsible for creating the atomic bomb. After completing his Ph.D. in physics in Germany, Oppenheimer returns to the United States He ended up teaching at the University of California-Berkley.

With all that said, it seems that this film brings back renewed interest in Las Vegas. Going back to back to the early 1950s, all the way up to 1992. The U.S. government setoff a total of 1,021 nuclear tests right here in the state of Nevada! The government also constructed testing areas for nuclear rockets, ramjet engines and more. All this happening in the late 1950s to early 70s!

"Oppenheimer" features Nevada as a backdrop!

Heck, if you do a little history check, you're going to find that a nuclear blast was more of a tourist attraction than a science project. According to an article by the American Experience, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce put out a bunch of press releases talking about the excitedly the new testing grounds and that is was now one of  many attractions Las Vegas had to offer!

Aside from becoming a tourist attraction, the Test Site created new jobs in the state of Nevada! The windfall was also a nice benefit with more than $176 million in federal funds to the area of which two-thirds went right back into back the economy here in Las Vegas. So with testing, many would say it was a "win-win" situation.

With all this said, there is now a renewed interest in the Atomic Bomb Museum right here in Las Vegas on E. Flamingo! Showing off artifacts, exhibits and more, you get a better experience of what was actually going on during those years featured in the movie "Oppenheimer"!

20 Movies That Turn 25 In 2023

Several films will be celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2023. Many of these films still reign supreme in our personal movie archives and are still relevant in pop culture today. The Parent Trap, The Truman Show, the first installment of the Rush Hour franchise, and many more have a huge anniversary to celebrate in the upcoming months. Take a look at 20 films that will be celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2023:

1. There's Something About Mary

2. Rush Hour

3. Armageddon

4. Doctor Dolittle

5. The Truman Show

6. The Parent Trap

7. Saving Private Ryan

8. The Rugrats Movie

9. Blade

10. Antz

11. The Wedding Singer

12. Belly

13. How Stella Got Her Groove Back

14. Star Trek: Insurrection

15. The Players Club

16. Godzilla

17. Mulan

18. A Bug’s Life

19. Star Trek: Insurrection

20. Enemy of the State

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Mike O’Brian is the Program Director and Morning Show host on 96.3 KKLZ in Las Vegas, along with Carla Rea. He has been with the Beasley Media Group for almost 23 years. Mike was named one of the “Best Program Directors In America” by Radio Ink magazine. Over the years, “The Mike & Carla Morning Show” have been presented with a number of proclamations for their work in the community and numerous awards. Having lived in Las Vegas for over 35 years, he writes articles on living in Las Vegas, sports, and odd stories happening within the state of Nevada. Mike is the host of the morning show and program director of 96.3 KKLZ/Las Vegas. He has been doing mornings in Las Vegas for the past 38 years. Over the years, he has hosted a numerous amount of community events and has been the P.A. announcer for a number of sports teams in Las Vegas. He has written on living in Las Vegas, the sports teams here, as well as odd & little-known facts about Las Vegas & Nevada.