Trinitite

Gift of Brigadier General Paul Tibbets, 2001.197

On July 16, 1945, the world's first atomic bomb was detonated in the New Mexico desert during the Trinity test. The blast's heat melted the sand and rocks within the blast radius, turning them into a glassy substance. Coming in a variety of colors –based on the types of sand and rock composing the glass – trinitite is mildly radioactive but is safe enough to handle in a person's bare hands.