Albuquerque in the Nuclear Age

As part of a series of talks on the History of Albuquerque from the 1880s to the 1960s, Duane Hughes presented  “Albuquerque in the Nuclear Age” on Sunday, February 16, 2020 at the Albuquerque Museum. He focused on the impact of the largest generator of Albuquerque’s growth since World War II, Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base. He also described the history of the development of the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History here in Albuquerque and how it came to document the nuclear age heritage for Albuquerque.

1951 photo of Building 800 at Sandia Labs
One of Sandia’s first permanent buildings (Building 800) – completed in 1949

Photo of Duane Hughes conducting tour at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and HistoryAfter graduating with a degree in physics from Heidelberg University in 1956, Duane Hughes arrived in Albuquerque and began working at Sandia Labs as a Member of the Technical Staff. He was employed at Sandia Labs for 38 years until retirement in 1994 in several wide-ranging areas. For the past 20 years he has been a docent at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.