"After about two seconds, I took the glass away. The sky
and surrounding landscape were brightly illuminated, but not as strongly
as in full sunlight. The 'ball of fire' was still too bright for direct
observation, but it could be seen to be rising and expanding and slowly
fading out. At some time during this stage, the layers of clouds visible
above the explosion evaporated, forming a hole which rapidly got bigger."
Mar 1, 1955
"At about two minutes, the blast came. It was remarkably
sharp, being more of a 'crack' than a 'boom'. I did not feel any earth
shock."
Mar 12, 1955
"The whole spectacle was so tremendous and one might almost say fantastic that the immediate reaction of the watchers was one of awe rather than excitement. After some minutes of silence, a few people made remarks like, 'Well, it worked,' and then conversation and discussion became general. I am sure that all who witnessed this test went away with a profound feeling that they had seen one of the great events of history."
(Edwin M. McMillan, Eyewitness Account of the First Atomic Explosion at Trinity on July 16, 1945)