In the 1950s the American public accepted above-ground nuclear bomb blasts just 65 miles from an American city as part of the ongoing Cold War effort. The tests became a tourist attraction for visitors. Las Vegas became «Atomic City, USA.» The public's enthusiastic reaction to the tests demonstrates how well the government both downplayed the possible dangers of the tests and emphasized the patriotic mission of the program.

From early bathing beauty promotions, to the 1950s when casino guests could watch nuclear bomb testing from rooftop platforms, Las Vegas has always seized on whatever was available and interesting to sell itself to the outside world — a genius of marketing, according to some.