In the early-morning hours of July 16, 1945, a team of scientists at the Trinity site in New Mexico fretted over a large sphere of steel and electrical cables they called the "Gadget." A few hours later, the device exploded in the first test of an atomic bomb. It created a flash of light, a roar, and a rising cloud of gas, dust, and debris that has since become the universal symbol of unfathomable power. I decided to make my own. Not having access to uranium, I used the next best thing: nondairy coffee creamer. Yes, it's possible to make a mushroom cloud with the stuff that whitens your coffee. These creamers are mostly flammable fat, and their light, powdery form provides plenty of access to oxygen, creating an explosive fuel.
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