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NUCLEAR WEAPONS
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The Manhattan Project
President Truman is briefed on the full details of the Manhattan Project, in which a team of scientists are busy working on the development of the first atomic bomb. The actual development begain in 1939 when FDR was in office, however Truman (acting VP at the time) was kept in the dark until ten days after he was sworn in as President following FDR's death. Video: http://www.history.com/flash/VideoPlayer.swf?vid=6282989501 -
The Trinity Test
Most of the research and development for the Manhattan Project was being conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. On this day, the Manhattan Project had successfully produced enough plutonium to proceed with carrying out the first nuclear test of its kind at the nearby Alamogordo Test Range. At 5:29:45AM Mountain War Time, the world's first atomic bomb exploded over the southern New Mexico desert in an area known as the Jornada del Muerto - The Journey of the Dead Man. -
The Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
On this day, during WWII, a B-29 bomber dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, nearly wiping out 90% of the city and killing over 80,000 innocent civilians. Just three days later, a second B-29 dropped another atomic bomb, this time on Nagasaki, killing over 40,000 innocent civilians. -
USSR Successfully Drops First Atomic Bomb
The USSR tested their first atomic bomb, code named "First Lightning", by dropping it on a makeshift city they had built on a remote range in Kazakhstan. First Lightning was nearly the same size of Trinity and threatened the United States due to its overwhelming successful detonation. Video: http://www.rferl.org/media/video/1851564.html -
United States Successfully Detonates H-Bomb
The United States successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb ("Mike") in the Pacific that completely vaporizes Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Mike exploded with a yield of 10.4 megatons and an estimated fireball that expanded nearly three miles in diameter. This was the world's first thermonuclear weapon and in response to the Soviet Union's successful test of their atomic bomb in 1949. Video: http://youtu.be/NNcQX033V_M -
USSR Follows The Leader, Detonates H-Bomb Of Their Own
The Soviets upped the ante in the dangerous nuclear arms race and responded to the Americans by detonating a 400 kiloton device [with 30x the explosive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima] of their own just nine months later. The bomb, known as the "Layer Cake", was much smaller [and could fit on an airplane] than Mike, which stood three stories tall and weighed over a million pounds. Video: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0a0_1290660056 -
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Created
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was created in response to the deep fears and expectations resulting from the discovery of nuclear energy. The Agency's genesis was President Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace address to the General Assembly of the UN on Dec 8, 1953. Source: www.iaea.org/About/history.html -
Russians Drop Tsar Bomba - "King of Bombs"
The Russians designed and manufactured the largest, most powerful nuclear weapon ever constructed or detonated on the face of the earth. Known by its creators as "Big Ivan", this three stage weapon was originally designed as a 100 megaton bomb, but was later produced to only pack a 50 megaton punch. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxD44HO8dNQ -
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The need to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons was evident from the first day of the nuclear era. The goal here was to completely eliminate the use of atomic energy for destruction purposes. Unfortunately, early postwar efforts failed and the Soviet Union (1949), UK (1952), France (1960) and China (1964) became nuclear-weapon states. On this day, the Treaty was opened for signature, and signed by the US, UK, Soviet Union and 59 other countries, although it didn't go in effect until 1970. -
India Joins Arms Race; Tests First Nuclear Device
India successfully detonated their first nuclear weapon (nicknamed "Smiling Buddha"), a fission bomb similar to that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the United States. This test was conducted as a means to flex their muscles against China and Pakistan due to increased fears of another war with each country. -
South Africa Signs Treaty; Disclose Weapons Program
South Africa signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty today after careful consideration by the government to seek their "rightful place in the world community". The Cold War had subsided and the threat of conventional military conflict in the region had diminished substantially after the last Cuban troops had pulled out from Angola. Video:http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/StateDepartmentNewsBriefing65 -
North Korea Tests Nuke; World Uneasy
Defying warnings issued by the UN Security Council just two days earlier, Kim Jong-il gave his military the go-ahead to test a nuclear weapon, making his country the eighth in history to join the list of nuclear weapons states. Video: http://youtu.be/WHHrTp96yog
