Who is 'Miss Atomic Bomb'? A historian searched for 25 years for the answer

LAS VEGAS -- It wasn't going to beryllium casual to way down the pistillate who came to beryllium known arsenic “Miss Atomic Bomb." All Robert Friedrichs had to spell connected was a signifier sanction helium recovered printed nether an archival paper photograph that showed her posing with different Las Vegas showgirls.

It would instrumentality him much than 2 decades to unravel the enigma of Lee A. Merlin's existent identity.

Friedrichs, 81, isn’t a detective. He’s a historiographer and a retired idiosyncratic who got his commencement during the atomic age, a analyzable infinitesimal successful American past erstwhile the enactment was blurred betwixt fearfulness and fascination with atomic power.

Between 1951 and 1992, hundreds of atomic tests were performed, mostly underground, successful the godforsaken extracurricular Las Vegas. But it was the monolithic mushroom clouds from the above-ground atomic blasts that captured the public’s imaginativeness passim the 1950s and aboriginal 1960s.

Las Vegas sought to capitalize connected that craze, and successful 1957 sent a lensman retired connected duty to sprout a promotional advertisement for atomic tourism. He got an thought to seizure the pb dancer astatine the Sands Hotel successful a swimsuit successful the signifier of a fluffy mushroom cloud. In the photo, the high-heeled showgirl is smiling with arms outstretched arsenic the godforsaken unfolds down her similar a stage.

The representation played a cardinal relation successful shaping Las Vegas ’ individuality arsenic a metropolis of phantasy and spectacle. Yet small was known astir the prima of the photograph — until now.

Friedrichs archetypal acceptable retired to find Miss Atomic Bomb astir 2000. The Atomic Museum was acceptable to unfastened successful Las Vegas successful a fewer years and arsenic a founding member, helium was “hoping against hope” that she was inactive live and could be the expansive opening.

What started arsenic a elemental question — Who was she? — became an obsession for Friedrichs that outlasted careers and outlived friends.

Friedrichs filled stacks of binders with clues and imaginable leads, similar 1 that led him “to a feline successful South Dakota." Days disconnected were spent either combing done online paper archives oregon sifting done peculiar collections astatine the library.

He tracked down the lensman from that celebrated photoshoot and interviewed erstwhile showgirls who confirmed Miss Atomic Bomb's signifier name. But the woman’s existent sanction inactive eluded him.

Leads dried up and months turned into years.

The enigma didn’t support him up astatine night, but helium said erstwhile helium was awake, it consumed his thoughts. He would sometimes look astatine the photo, wondering if she’d ever springiness up the answer.

Then, past winter, thing unexpected happened. He gave a speech astatine the Atomic Museum astir his search, and the adjacent day, an assemblage subordinate sent him a transcript of an obituary. A item stood out: The pistillate had erstwhile been the pb dancer astatine the Sands Hotel.

Her sanction was Anna Lee Mahoney.

She was calved connected Aug. 14, 1927, successful the Bronx. Mahoney trained successful ballet successful New York earlier performing successful shows and musicals nether her signifier name, Lee A. Merlin.

By 1957, she was the pb dancer astatine the Sands Hotel’s Copa showroom, a predominant haunt of the Rat Pack and mobsters. She performed for elite audiences, including Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong, according to her obituary.

After hanging up her dancing shoes, Mahoney worked for 30 years arsenic a intelligence wellness counselor, moved to Hawaii and got married. She died successful 2001 successful Santa Cruz, California, aft a conflict with cancer.

Her photograph is 1 of the astir requested of the 7.5 cardinal images kept successful the Las Vegas Convention Center and Visitors Authority’s archive. It has inspired Halloween costumers, and former Playboy Bunny Holly Madison recreated it successful 2012. One of the outtakes from the celebrated sprout appears successful the inheritance of an occurrence of “Crime Story,” a constabulary TV play acceptable successful the 1960s.

“It’s conscionable truly astonishing that 1 click of the shutter could person specified an impact,” Friedrichs said.

A impermanent grounds showcasing the decades-long hunt opens June 13 astatine the Atomic Museum.

“It’s astir Miss Atomic Bomb, astir Anna Lee Mahoney,” said Joseph Kent, the museum’s lawman manager and curator, “but it’s besides astir Robert’s quest to find retired her existent identity.”

Over the years, the task had go profoundly idiosyncratic for Friedrichs.

He and the photographer, Don English, became accelerated friends aft their archetypal meeting. Before the Atomic Museum opened to the public, Friedrichs took English wrong to circuit the space. English brought the archetypal camera helium utilized to instrumentality the infamous photo.

English posed successful the lobby for a photograph with a life-sized cardboard cutout of “Miss Atomic Bomb.” Friedrichs jokes it’s his favourite of each the photos he’s collected of her successful 25 years.

English died successful 2006, agelong earlier Friedrichs solved the mystery. Instead helium called English’s girl to stock the news.

“She was truly excited that we had gotten this enactment to bed,” Friedrichs said.

And past determination were the showgirls who spent hours talking with Friedrichs. They shared their signifier names and stories astir vintage Vegas — fancy dinners, photoshoots and lavish gifts similar a beauteous citrine ringing that 1 of them got from a antheral who wanted to wed her.

The women provided a glimpse into the atomic era, beingness arsenic Copa showgirls and however they became icons of Las Vegas, yet were sometimes misidentified successful photograph captions oregon their names altogether omitted.

And finally, with the assistance of backstage investigators who donated their time, Friedrichs uncovered conclusive grounds linking each of Miss Atomic Bomb’s names to a azygous Social Security number.

“It's thing I ever hoped would beryllium completed successful my lifetime," said Friedrichs, teary-eyed.

His information to lick the enigma didn’t travel from curiosity alone. The missing sanction was a spread successful the humanities record, helium said, and helium wanted to hole it.

“It’s benignant of similar knowing idiosyncratic was the archetypal president of the United States, but what was his sanction again?”