It happened not so long ago, though some who call Nevada home may not remember the "Atomic Era," when more than 1,000 nuclear bombs were set off near the Las Vegas Valley.
But there are some in the Silver State who can never forget. These are their stories.
For Nevada, it's the question that doesn't go away.
The fight to stop Yucca Mountain from becoming a nuclear waste repository has gone on for more than three decades now. Despite an official halt to the project in 2010, that fight continues for Nevada's Congressional delegation and the Western Shoshone people. Paulina Bucka exposes the deep roots of the battle over Yucca Mountain.
ATOMIC VETERANS: JIM ANDROL'S STORY
While Mercury, Nevada was home to atomic bomb testing that left a ripple effect of health complications for thousands of Americans, the testing done overseas — along with post-testing cleanup efforts — left more than 6,000 American soldiers fighting to be seen by our own government. James Androl is one of those veterans.
"It was a battle we were fighting and we didn’t even know it," Androl said. "And we didn’t even have anything to fight back with — even if we could have."
DOWNWIND: THE DOCUMENTARY AND LAS VEGAS HISTORY
In a city that coined the term “what happens here, stays here,” — this was not true for atomic testing. The infamous mushroom clouds would go up and eventually come down — carrying radiation with them.
"There is no question anymore. We know where the fallout went, and we know how much the fallout was, and it's a matter of people coming on board and people making it an important issue," said Kirk Gladwin, who's been fighting for downwinders since the 1990s.
REMEMBERING HIROSHIMA: 78 YEARS LATER
The stories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as told through the eyes of survivors. Channel 13 anchor Paulina Bucka hears from two Las Vegas residents who share how the 1945 bombings still impact them today.
The two bombs killed more than 300,000 people — and counting. "Whoever survived...sometimes they'd say they were better off dead," Kumiko Noriega, a Las Vegas resident who grew up in Hiroshima after the bombings, told Channel 13. "They were suffering so, so much."
DOWNWINDERS: A TRUE LAS VEGAS STORY
During the height of the Cold War and atomic nuclear testing, Las Vegas became home to one of the largest atomic testing sites in the country.
In the vast Nevada desert, there are many stories of people who lived to tell about the effects of nuclear fallout — and many who did not. Paulina Bucka reports.
Even before its theater debut, the blockbuster biopic "Oppenheimer" prompted thought-provoking discussions about the past, present, and future implications of the atomic bomb and nuclear energy.
Oppenheimer's grandchildren recently discussed his legacy at an event in Southern Nevada. Isabella Martin reports.
'OPPENHEIMER': THE BLOCKBUSTER FILM'S LAS VEGAS CONNECTION
"Beginning in 1952, some of the biggest bombs in the history of the world were detonated about 70 miles north of Las Vegas," Rob McCoy, CEO of the Atomic Museum, told Channel 13.
McCoy tells anchor Abel Garcia the film will educate people around the world about the role Southern Nevada played in atomic weaponry.
"This movie is going to remind everybody of that, and it will help educate future generations," he said.
