January 27

Speaking of Rangers hitting their mark, Operation Ranger was the name given to the fourth in a series of above ground nuclear tests that were conducted in the Nevada desert. On the 27th in 1951 test Able was conducted in which a nuclear weapon rated at 1 megaton was detonated by the Air Force (yes, ours). The bomb was dropped from a B-50 bomber. I imagine that the good people of Las Vegas, which had become a very popular destination for people wishing to watch the mushroom clouds from the tests, were pleased that the bombardier hit his target.