EMMETT, Idaho — The United States detonated its first atmospheric nuclear test in Nevada seventy-five years ago this February, setting off a chain of events that would alter countless lives across the Mountain West.
On Jan. 27, 1951, the government began conducting above-ground nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site. Between 1951 and 1962, 100 atmospheric bombs were detonated, exposing Idahoans to radioactive contamination as fallout drifted north.
Those affected became known as downwinders…