6. Manhattan Project
Although well known today, the Manhattan Project was a super-secret program begun in the early 1940s that resulted in the first atomic bombs. Although many associate the project with Los Alamos, N.M., there were actually more than a dozen official locations across the country and in Canada.
Andrew Lucas says
The picture shown is not a B-2 but a F-117.
Robert Young says
The photo is of the B2 and not the F117.
Bruce Welty says
Get a photo person that KNOWS aircraft.
Paul Heney says
Andrew and Bruce, you’re totally right! Sorry about the mixup, the wrong image was, indeed, uploaded. We’ve fixed the problem now.
Dave says
Area 51 is not a secret project but a access restricted base. No one has yet to definitively state just what goes on there currently. While it was used for airframe testing previously including Have Blue/ F117 / B2 there is no single known project now or then.
Personally my theory is they use it to develop thin crust pizza dough! Come on PROVE me wrong ;-]
Richard Tasker says
Wait… You include the U-2, I would agree a great accomplishment, but only mention the SR-71 in passing on the Area 51 page. The SR-71 made the U-2 look like a Cessna 150. Flew higher, faster (much faster) and was totally impervious to any existing defenses. As you noted, the U-2 was shot down – the SR-71 was not. It still holds many altitude and speed records.
It certainly meets the criteria for this article as much as any other entry – and, if you have ever seen one in person, it is awesome! If you haven’t you should. The things they had to solve to fly at Mach 3.2 at 85,000 ft were daunting.
Barry Hazel says
Gerald Bull was brilliant at gun design but not so good at who he designed for. The project was called Babylon because the client was Sadly Insane. Countries located in any direction from Bagdad would not have been too thrilled if the gun was completed.
Too bad the details about the projects in this article are barely picture captions.
Andy says
Holy Birchtrunk, Batman! You made my day and then some!