On September 1, 1947, the U.S. nuclear research facility in New Mexico that had produced the first atomic bombs during World War II was formally named the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. The site had operated under a veil of secrecy during the Manhattan Project. After the war, the new name reflected a transition toward more permanent peacetime research into nuclear physics and weapons. Scientists at Los Alamos continued to design and test nuclear devices, playing a central role in the early Cold War arms race. Over time, the laboratory also expanded into basic scientific research, computing, and materials science.
