Overview
Project Teapot was a series of 14 nuclear test explosions conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1955. The most famous sub-project, "Target Apple," involved the construction of "Survival Town" (informally known as "Doom Town")—a full-scale American suburb complete with houses, cars, and mannequins dressed in clothing from J.C. Penney.
The "Mannequin" Conspiracy
Footage of the mannequins being blasted by the shockwaves became iconic Cold War propaganda. Conspiracy theories have long alleged that the government used the town to test biological agents or that real human cadavers were placed in the homes to measure radiation effects on skin and organs, though declassified files only mention the use of anthropomorphic dummies.
Military "Volunteers"
The tests included "Desert Rock VI," where thousands of U.S. troops were stationed in trenches just miles from ground zero and ordered to march toward the mushroom cloud to test the psychological and physical effects of "modern" warfare.