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Period: to
Nuclear Race
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Discovery of natural radioactivity
Henri Becquerel first discovered natural radioactivity on accident when a sample of uranium ore developed a photographic film. -
Discovery of electrons
Through the use of a cathode ray tube J.J. Thomson discovered Electtrons -
Discovery of the Nucleus
Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden used the gold foil experiment to demonstrate that in the center of an atom there ios a small, dense core. The Nucleus -
U.S. Enters WWI
The united states enters into world war I -
WWI Begins
The beginning of a massive World war that would put countries up against each other -
Einstein publishes theory of relativity
It affected theories and methods across all physical sciences. Especially important was the parts about the elementary particles and their interactions -
WW! ends
The world war is finally over. -
Discovery of the proton
Rutherford developed a theory that inside all atoms there are positively charged particles, aka protons -
Discovery of neutrons
James Chadwick used scattering data and determined that there must be another sizeable particle inside an atom. This particle with no charge is known as the neutron -
Discovery of Fission
If you bombard a heavy element with a particle such as a neutron it will split into two smaller elements and because of the reduced mass and the fact that mass has energy it creates a massive amount of energy -
Fermi wins Nobel Prize
Fermi was awarded the Nobel Prize for his demonstrations and the new elements he created by bombarding elements with neutrons. -
Beginning of Manhattan Project
Undercover work for the U.S. to reach the nuclear stage and develop their own atomic weapons. Headed by many leading scientists of the day -
WWII Begins
The beginning of World War Two -
Discovery of plutonium
The first synthetic element to be created. It was made by bombarding uranium elements with neutrons causing fission -
Roosevelt speaks at Pan american congress
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Civil defense is formed
Created by President Franklin Roosevelt. As there was talk about nuclear weapons the president realized a need for an organization to defend America -
Pearl Harbor
The japanese attacked unaware ships and planes located at Pearl Harbor. Killed many soldiers and sailors. One of the main reasons for bombing Japan -
U.S. Enters WWII
The united states enters into world war II -
First sustained nuclear reaction
At the secret research center in Chicago underneath the stands Fermi invented the first self-sustaining reaction. -
D-Day
The invasion of Normandy. Both a land invasion and air dropped soldiers. -
Plowshare
The use of nuclear weapons for peaceful constructive purposes -
Trinity
First test of a nuclear weapon. The beginning of the Atomic Age -
WWII Ends
The second massive world war has finally come to and end. -
Hiroshima
Little boy, blast yielded 13 kilotons of TNT. Substancial to winning the war -
Nagasaki
One of two nuclear bombs dropped over Japan to end the war. Fat man was a plutonium bomb with a yield of 21 kilotons -
VJ-Day
The day of Victory over Japan. -
Able
Detonated 520 feet above ground, an explosion of 23 kilotons -
Baker
Detonated 90 feet under the water with a yield of 23 kilotons -
Klaus Fuchs leaks information to USSR
Klaus smuggle detailed blueprints from the US into german hands. -
X-Ray
A massive 27 kiloton yielding nuclear weapon -
Yoke
A nuclear test yielding 49 kilotons -
First Russian Nuclear bomb
Plutonium bomb codenamed first lightning (RDS-1) -
First underground test by US
Detonated 17 feet below the ground. Blew up massive mushroom cloud to 11,500 feet and created 263 foot crater -
Range- Able
Small weapon that tested compression against critical mass. Small yield of .5 kilotons -
Greenhouse Easy
47 kiloton nuclear bomb -
Greenhouse George
First thermonuclear war test, deuterium core -
Green house Item
First bomb with tritium boosting. Yield of 45.5 kilotons -
First nuclear test for Britain
Operation Hurricane, a blue danube bomb. Powerful bomb with a yield of over 25 kilotons -
Ivey Mike
First nuclear weapon to get most of the destructive power from nuclear fusion. Massive yield of 14 MEGATONS -
Upshot- Encore
27 kiloton weapon dropped in Nevada -
Upshot Grable
First test of a nuclear artillery shell. -
Atoms for Peace
Speech delivered by President Dwight Eisenhower telling people they are entering into the nuclear age -
First nuclear reactor for energy in the world
Calder Hall nuclear power station in the Uk. -
Cactus
18 kiloton nuclear weapon dropped on Enewetak, the crater was filled with contaminated soil and capped in a concrete dome. -
TEAK
Extremely powerful nuclear weapon with a yield of 3.8 MEGATONS -
University of Florida builds research reactor
Training reactors require lower grade uranium and produce far less of a yield than power generating reactors. -
First nuclear test for France
Gerboise bleue was France's first nuclear bomb. 70 kiloton yield -
Tsab Bomba
Biggest nuclear weapon ever tested. Powerful hydrogen bomb with a massive 50 mega ton yield -
Frigate Bird
Only test of an operational SLBM with an active warhead. Relesased a yield of 600 kilotons -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Confrontation between the Soviets in Cuba and the Untied States. The Soviet and Cuban governments were building missile launch sites in Cuba that could strike the continental U.S. -
Last atmospheric US test
Plutonium bombs nicknamed Rollercoaster detonated -
First Chinese Nuclear Test
Bomb 596 was the first chinese nuclear bomb, uranium 235- implosion fission device. Yield of 22 kilotons -
Strategic arms limitation treaty
Froze the number of ICBM launchers and only allowed use of new SLBM as the old ones were removed. -
Outer Space Treaty
Bans all nuclear weapons from entering into space and/or being set up on celestial bodies -
Last French Test
France continued atmospheric test even after the treaty in 1963 -
First nuclear test for India
Bomb codenamed Smiling Buddha used plutonium made from the nuclear reactors in canada as a byproduct. 8 kiloton yield -
First nuclear reactor in the Us for energy production
SM-1 nuclear power plant in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. -
First nuclear reactor in Florida
Progress Energy's nuclear power plant was the first in Florida. Levy site -
Last reactor built in the U.S.
Last nuclear reactor in the United States was the River Bend plant in Louisiana -
Strategic Arms limitation treaty II
Banned new missile types. Reduced number of nuclear warheads -
First nuclear test for israel
Very disputed. Though officially there has not been a nuclear test for israel there was a double flash caught by a satellite that many believe to have been the sign of a nuclear test. -
Intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty
Agreement between U.S. and the Soviet Union. Eliminated nuclear and normal weapons between distances of 300-3400 miles -
last soviet test
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Last U.S. Test
An underground test -
Strategic arms reduction treaty
Banned more than 6000 warheads on over 1600 icbms, slbms. Removed ~ 80 percent of all nuclear warheads -
Comprehensive test Ban Theory
This theory bans all nuclear explosions of any sort in any environment. It has been adopted by the United Nations but has not yet been actually put into effect. -
Last test by India
The last test was done underground in India on May 13, 1998 -
First nuclear test for Noth Korea
This is another disputed test, with the only confirmation being the samples collected from an aircraft flown by the U.S. through the believed test sight
