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Vote on the Hydrogen Bomb
The Atomic Energy Commission voted 3-2 not to proceed with the development of a hydrogen bomb. Many of the opposers felt strongly about the General Advisory Committee, which stated that the bomb would reperesent “the policy of exterminating civilian populations.”
http://blog.oup.com/2013/11/building-the-hydrogen-bomb/ -
Lewi Strauss Writes to President Truman
Lewis Strauss, a member of the Atomic Energy Commission, wrote to President Truman urgining him to announce that the AEC would be allowed to continue with the development of the hydrogen bomb. He argued that the danger of the bomb was not in the capability of the bomb itself, but in the way that it would be used by humands.
http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/library/correspondence/strauss-lewis/corr_strauss_1949-11-25.htm -
Approval of the Hydrogen Bomb
President Truman annoucned that he would be directing the Atomic Energy Commission to continue with their development of the hydrogen bomb. Some people, such as Senator Brien McMahon, pressured Truman to allow further development of the 'super-bomb'; many scientists working on the hydrogen bomb thought that the USSR was already working to develop one as well, http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/president-truman-orders-development-hydrogen-bomb -
Einstein Opposes the H-Bomb
Albert Einstein publicly spoke out against the contruction of the hydrogen bomb on "Today with Mrs. Roosevelt", saying "If successful, radioactive poisoning of the atmosphere, hence the annihilation of any life on earth, has been brought within the range of technical possibilities.”
http://jewishcurrents.org/february-12-einstein-opposes-the-h-bomb-14971 -
Teller-Ulam Configuration
Edward Teller submitted a report on a design for the new H-bomb that was derived from Stanislaw Ulam's proposal that mechanical shock from atomic bombs be used to initiate hydrogen bombs along with his own suggestion that radiation from atomic bombs be used to accumulate the energy instead.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/586350/Edward-Teller#ref100216 -
The First Thermonuclear Explosion
The explosion was a result of the fission of deuterium and trititum of an atomic bomb. It yielded a force of 225 kilotons. It was dropped at the Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean as part of a series of atmospheric nucleur tests. This became known as the George Test.
http://www.ctbto.org/specials/testing-times/9-may-1951-george/ -
The Difference between Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs
Atomic bombs are a product of fission, which occurs naturally inthe splitting of atoms of certain materials. Hydrogen bombs, however, are dependent on fusion. Therefore, hydrogen bombs require very high temperatures and can be up to 1,000 times more powerful, doing much more damage than atomic bombs. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/stoi/What-is-the-difference-between-an-atomic-and-a-nuclear-bomb/articleshow/1345040.cms
image: http://www.trunews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Tsar_B -
The First Hydrogen Bomb
The United States denoted the first hydrogen bomb on Eniwetok atoll in the Pacific. The bomb "Mike" was about 1,000 times more powerful than the previously used atomic bombs and gave the United States a brief lead in the nuclear arms race. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/united-states-tests-first-hydrogen-bomb
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USSR Tests "Layer-Cake" Bomb
The Soviets denotated a 400-kiloton hydrogen bomb fueled by Uranium and Lithiam Deuteride in Kazakhstan. Due to the layering of Uranium and Lithiam Deuteride, the bomb became known as the 'layer-cake'. It produced a mushroom cloud that stretched 5 miles in the sky. The bomb itself was smaller and more portable than the United States' hydrogen bomb.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-test-layer-cake-bomb
image: http://blueiskewl.blogspot.com/2013/08/august-12-1953-soviets-test-lay -
Oppenheimer opposes
J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb, voiced his opposition to the hydrogen bomb. This hurt his career greatly, as President Eisenhower requested that a "blank wall" be placed between Oppenheimer and atomic secrets.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/peopleevents/pandeAMEX66.html
image: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/peopleevents/pandeAMEX65.html -
Castle Bravo
The United States denotated it's most powerful nuclear bomb at the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. A design error made the bomb about two and a half times more powerful than expected with a magnitude of 15 megatons.
http://www.ctbto.org/specials/testing-times/1-march-1954-castle-bravo/ -
Britain's First Hydrogen Bomb
The British dropped their first thermonuclear deivce above the Christmas Islands. It became known as Grapple X, a part of Britain's Grapple test series.
http://www.ctbto.org/specials/testing-times/8-november-1957-grapple-x/ -
Tsar Bomb
The largest bomb ever denotated was dropped by the USSR over the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in northern Russia. The bomb had a yield of 50 megatons.
http://www.tsarbomba.org -
Limited Test Ban Treaty
The Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed preventing nations from testing bombs in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater. The treaty was signed by the US, USSR, and Britain. However, tests could still be conducted underground as long as they caused no damage to the atmosphere.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/nuclear-test-ban-treaty
