Oak Ridge Virtual Bell Ringing

On August 6, 1945, the US Army Air Forces dropped the uranium-fueled Little Boy atomic bomb over Hiroshima in the first of only two atomic bombings of a population in history. The Manhattan Project facility at Oak Ridge, TN produced the enriched uranium used in the Little Boy atomic bomb.

The International Friendship Bell is a symbol of unity that carries the message of peace and friendship into the future. At nearly seven feet (2.13 meters) tall and five feet (1.5 meters) wide, this 8,000-pound (3629 kilograms) bronze bell hangs at A. K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where the enriched uranium for the world’s first atomic weapons was manufactured. Designed in Oak Ridge and cast in Kyoto, Japan, the relief panels on the bell show peaceful imagery inspired by Tennessee, Japan, and the tragedies of war between the two nations.

Each year, the park hosts "Days of Peace and Remembrance" across its three sites and with partner parks to commemorate and reflect on the atomic bombings of Japan in 1945. Our commemorative programming at Hanford, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge acknowledges and interprets the conflicting viewpoints, both historical and modern, that surround the development and use of the world’s first atomic weapons. These events provide an opportunity to reflect on the historical and emotional traumas of the atomic bombings.

If you are not able to participate in one of these annual events, check back here from 6:00 am EDT on August 6 through 11:59 pm PDT on August 9 each year for an opportunity to virtually ring the Oak Ridge Friendship Bell.