News Release

Manhattan Project National Historical Park to host Lights for Peace in observance of 79th anniversary of atomic bombings of Japan

A beautiful sunset brightens the sky during the 2022 Lights for Peace program at Howard Amon Park

NPS/Hildebrant

News Release Date: August 6, 2024

Contact: Becky Burghart, 208-848-6098

Richland, W.A. – Manhattan Project National Historical Park will observe the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan in the waning days of World War II in 1945 with a one-hour Lights for Peace program on August 9 starting at 8:00 pm PDT at the Fingernail Stage in Howard Amon Park in Richland.

On August 9, 1945, the US Army Air Force dropped the plutonium-fueled Fat Man atomic bomb over Nagasaki in the second, and so far, the last nuclear bombing of a population in history. The Manhattan Project facilities at Hanford produced the plutonium used in Fat Man bomb.

The program will feature music from the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers, a guest speaker, and an opportunity to ring a peace bell. The public will also have an opportunity to walk a path lit with luminarias that feature messages of peace written by community members. The program will provide a quiet contemplative experience.

“We are offering this Lights for Peace experience to mark the atomic bombings of Japan and to recognize the historical trauma of these events. Lights for Peace aims to provide an opportunity to remember and reflect on these world-changing events that happened 79 years ago,” said Hanford Unit Site Manager Becky Burghart.