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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Charles J. Spiegl was a civilian scientist employed by the Manhattan Project. He was involved in radiation toxicology, studying the effects of radiation on animals at the Trinity Site near Alamogordo, New Mexico. He also participated in the postwar nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, where he was assigned to Task Group 1.1.2 on board the USS Haven, specifically moderating radiation safety after the explosions. In the early 1950s, he was transferred to the nuclear programs at Groom Lake Air Force Base in Nevada. 

Information contributed by his daughter, Barbara Spiegl Gibson.

Charles J. Spiegl’s Timeline
1916 Oct 19th Born.

1943 Earned his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.

1945 Jul 16th Witnessed the Trinity test.

1946 Jul Worked as a radiation monitor for Operation Crossroads in Task Group 1.1.2.

1952 Mar Joined the nuclear testing programs in the Nevada desert.

1992 Dec 30th Passed away.

Spiegl in Mercury Flats, Nevada 

Nevada Tests- Spiegl on Left 

Nevada Tests- Spiegl on Left 

Spiegl Operation Crossroads Memorabilia 

Return from Bikini Islands-Operation Crossroads

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Attended Carnegie Technical Institute.