Who came up with the phrase GROUND ZERO? And how did it catch on? Details?

Question

I was watching a show about earth quakes (History Channel) and they mention an earthquake at sea could cause a tsunami that would send water inland as far as Ground Zero. And immeadiately I knew they meant the Twin Towers. Then I thought to myself: I wonder how that phrase came to be a part of our popular speech and thought? Any ideas....And I would like to know who first said Ground Zero...

Answer 1

It comes from the distance to / /from an event. The area a mile away might be called "1 mile" a thousand yards, a hundred yards, ten yards...to zero, the point of the event! Ground zero is zero distance from the event.

Answer 2

They were not referring to the towers. As so often happens, the History Channel seems to have gotten something wrong. Ground zero is the point on the earth's surface where the event takes place. In the case of earthquakes, the actual point of origin below the earth's surface is the epicenter. Saying an at-sea-earthquake would send water as far away as ground zero makes no sense, because the earthquake is located at ground zero.

The term has in other situations been used to describe the location of events of large proportions. The spot of the old Twin Towers is often referred to Ground Zero, as were the locations where the first atomic bombs were dropped (Hiroshima and Nagasaki). The term can also be used to describe the origin of something such as a plague.

Answer 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_zero
the phrase happened way before 9-11 here's a link