Joe McKibben was born and raised in rural Missouri before obtaining a PhD in physics from the University of Wisconsin. McKibben’s work on electrostatic accelerators led him to join the Manhattan Project in 1943. McKibben worked on the atomic bomb with the Los Alamos team to prepare it for a test in 1945. McKibben personally witnessed the Trinity test and was the man who flipped the switch that set off the atomic bomb at Trinity.
Joe McKibben
ScientistTrinity Site
Los Alamos, NM
Manhattan Project VeteranScientistTrinity Test Eyewitness
Joe McKibben's Timeline
1943 Joined the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos.