History

Family Secrets Inspired Debut Novel By Rachel Robbins Based On Manhattan Project

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Rachel Robbins

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

When it comes to family, there are always things to discover and mysteries to solve. Take author Rachel Robbins; what she discovered about her maternal grandparents Leon and Phyllis Fisher became the inspiration of her debut novel, “The Sound of a Thousand Stars”.

Robbins’ book is being published by Alcove Press, which is distributed by Penguin Random House. Despite living in Chicago, where she is a professor at Malcom X College, Robbins will premiere her novel in Los Alamos. Samizdat Teahouse and Bookstore and Read More

2024 New Mexico Archaeology Fair Oct. 19 In Santa Fe

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Scene from a previous Archaeology Fair. Courtesy/DCA

Department of Cultural Affairs News:

SANTA FE – The Annual New Mexico Archaeology Fair is returning in October and will be bigger than ever, thanks to a collaboration between the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division (NMHPD), the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC), and the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies (OAS).

“The Archaeology Fair is always a great opportunity to learn about and explore archaeology with experts from around the state,” said Interim State Historic Preservation Officer & State Archaeologist Read More

Robinson: We Celebrate 20 Years Of Columns

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By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2024 New Mexico News Services

“I want to stop and smell the roses,” he said. “If you want it, you can have it. Otherwise I’m going to shut it down.”

That was newsman Hal Rhodes, founder of New Mexico News Services. He had started NMNS in 1997 to provide opinion columns to New Mexico newspapers. When Hal was ready to step aside in 2004, he passed the baton to me.

We are now celebrating 20 years of a tiny business. The writers and some of our newspapers have changed but not the mission, and that is to provide views on New Mexico issues by New Mexico writers based on long experience Read More

Marshland: White Rock Canyon Petroglyphs

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Someone has added a modern-day message on this rock that has held a petroglyph of Kokopelli for the last few hundred years in White Rock. Courtesy/Susanna Marshland

By SUSANNA MARSHLAND
Intermittent resident
White Rock and Kensington, Calif.

As you can see on the above photo, someone has added a modern-day message on a rock that has held a petroglyph of Kokopelli for the last few hundred years.

I have been hiking the Red Dot Trail most of my life, and in the past few years have observed a proliferation of new additions, some likely done with a Dremel tool, some perhaps created by hand. In some places, Read More

Hundreds Of Artifacts Provide Glimpse Into Past – Findings From Manhattan Project Work At LANL Give Insight Into Average Wartime Worker

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Jonathan Creel, of LANL’s Environment and Waste Programs, lines up artifacts recently found on LANL  property where the inner workings of Little Boy and Thin Man were tested during the Manhattan Project. From left, a steel target used during testing; a slug used as a projectile inside the gun-type device’s cannon; and another steel target with the slug’s indentation. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory archaeologists recently found nearly 500 unrecorded artifacts at a historic site where non-nuclear parts for Little Boy and Thin Man, the gun-style bombs built as part Read More

Robinson: Buy A Piece Of History

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By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2024 New Mexico News Services

If you love historic hotels, and I do, it was a punch in the gut to read that the St. James Hotel in Cimarron has closed. The storied St. James not only has a big place in New Mexico history – punctuated by 26 bullet holes in the barroom ceiling – it’s a major employer in the tiny northern town.

After the announcement, the hotel’s Facebook page carried an outpouring of comments from grieving customers, Boy Scouts, former employees and locals who all hope the right person will step up to carry on the St. James legacy. And the search for a buyer Read More

Rabbi Shlachter: Jews Blow Their Own Horn – The Upcoming Holiday Of Rosh HaShanah

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Eating apples and honey, or other sweet things, is traditional on the Jewish New Year. Courtesy/LAJC

By Rabbi Jack Shlachter
Los Alamos Jewish Center

Beginning on Wednesday evening, Oct. 2, 2024, Jews around the world will usher in the major holiday called Rosh HaShanah, literally “Head of the Year”. (See the end of this column for Los Alamos Jewish Center’s schedule of holiday services).

This holiday is Biblical in origin, first alluded to in the Book of Leviticus 23:23-25 where the Jews are commanded to observe a sacred day on the first day of the seventh month. Already there’s a conundrum!  Read More

Explore Medieval Islamic Contributions To Astronomy With Galen Gisler At PEEC Friday Sept. 20

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The Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which was built in the 1420s. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

The community is invite to journey through the rich history of Islamic Astronomy at the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC)’s planetarium 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20.

This unique event, presented by Galen Gisler, will shed light on the crucial contributions of medieval Islamic scholars to our understanding of the cosmos. While Western education often overlooks this vibrant period between the ancient Greeks and the Renaissance, Gisler will bridge that gap by exploring the Read More

SALA Shares Results Of Oppenheimer Festival 2024

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This year’s Oppenheimer Festival was made possible with the generous support of TechSource, Inc. Gathered for a photo at SALA, from left, TechSource Vice President and Managing Director Los Alamos PMO Curtis Christensen, Deputy Director Los Alamos PMO Frank Tarantello, SALA owner Allan Saenz, TechSource Office Administrator Kella Romero and TechSource Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian D’Andrea. Courtesy/SALA

By ALLAN SEINZ
Owner
SALA Los Alamos Events Center

After two weeks of wrapping up the Second Annual Oppenheimer Festival, I am excited to share the highlights and successes Read More

Heinrich, Leger Fernández Introduce Bipartisan Defenders Of Bataan, Corregidor And Attu Congressional Gold Medal Act

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Congressional News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M) are reintroducing the bipartisan, bicameral Defenders of Bataan, Corregidor  and Attu Congressional Gold Medal Act to honor the heroic veterans who defended Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines and Midway, Wake, Guam, Java, Mindanao, and the Aleutian Islands against Imperial Japanese forces during World War II.

The legislation would bestow a collective Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest and most distinguished civilian honor, to the troops from Read More