Skip to main content

I am hypnotized by this giant-headed mystery woman who helped make the atomic bomb

I am hypnotized by this giant-headed mystery woman who helped make the atomic bomb

Share this story

Nuclear historian Alex Wellerstein has made something chilling and beautiful. He took all of the badge photos of the people who devised the atomic bomb during World War II at Los Alamos, and he built a mosaic.

The badges are an amazing piece of history, but with this mosaic, they've been turned into something functional. You can actually see the name of each individual at the bottom as you move your cursor over the pictures. But you know what’s even more striking?

This woman.

Mary T. Healy.

Screen_Shot_2014-09-26_at_1.53.34_PM.0.png

Who is she? What was her role at Los Alamos? Any relation to Donald J. Healy, the man to her right? And more importantly: Why is her picture that much bigger than everyone else’s?

Screen_Shot_2014-09-26_at_1.53.42_PM.0.png

Seriously, Mary T. Healy's head is a LOT bigger.

My questions might not be as important as those posed by Chris Plante earlier today (who taught dog to sit like a person, amirite?), but they still need answers. If you have any information about her, please let me know. My curiosity is getting the best of me.