Definition
Nuclear weapons are defined as bombs or missiles that use nuclear energy to cause an explosion.
The USA
The United States was the first country to manufacture nuclear weapons with the help of the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
Use In Combat
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The United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat, with the two separate bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.
Department Of Energy
The budget for nuclear weapons in the States is not included in the spendings of the Department of Defense. It falls under the Department of Energy.
The Origin
10% of US nuclear energy comes from recycled soviet nuclear weapons.
Warheads
There are more than 15,000 nuclear warheads in the world: About 7,300 are Russian and about 7,000 are located in the States.
$25 Billion
The USA spend approximately $25 billion every year on nuclear weapons.
The Radius
A nuclear weapon fired over a city would immediately destroy everything within a 50-mile radius of the landing point.
Countries
Nine countries have declared that they possess nuclear weapons: US, Russia, China, North Korea, France, UK, Israel, Pakistan and India.
Nuclear weaponry helps to verify the authenticity of paintings. Actually It is a reliable way of detecting art forgeries. Because if the painting contains certain isotopes (cesium-137 & strontium-90), it must be from after 1945, as these isotopes did not exist in nature before the first use of nuclear weapons in 1945.
First Nuclear Weapon
On the 16th of July 1945 the USA tests it first nuclear weapon “Trinity”. This is the beginning of the nuclear weapon era.
Hiroshima
6 August 1945: USA drops atomic (uranium) bomb on Hiroshima, killing more than 140,000 people within months. Many die later because due to heavy radiation.
Nagasaki
9 August 1945: US army drops a second atomic (Plutonium) bomb on Nagasaki killing over 75,000.
Lake Chagan
Lake Chagan in Kazakhstan was created using a nuclear weapon: The Chagan Nuclear Test.
Soviet Union
29 August 1949: Soviet Union tests its first nuclear bomb.
Nevada Test Site
From 1951 to 1992, there were a total of 928 announced nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site.
The Lost Bomb
February 1958, the United States Air Force lost a 7,600 pound hydrogen bomb in Georgia and it remains until today unfound.
France
13 February 1960: France tests it first nuclear weapon in the Sahara.
In the 1950s and ’60s the British government tested nukes in the rural area of Maralinga (Australia). British and Australian soldiers were used as guinea pigs to test the effects of radiation on humans. The area was also heavily populated by aborigines.
China
16 October 1964: China conducts it first nuclear test. In total China conducted 45 tests at the Lop Nor testing site.
Latin America
Since the 14th February of 1967 Latin America becomes officially nuclear free. The Treaty of Tlatelolco is signed in Mexico City.
India
18 May 1974: India conducts first nuclear test.
Us Stealth Bombers
A single US stealth bomber is able to carry 16 “B83 nuclear bombs”. Each of those bombs can produce 75 times the power and destruction of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The B83 has been developed by the United States in the late 70’s.
North Korea
9 October 2006: North Korea conducts nuclear test.
Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty
7 July 2017: UN adopts nuclear weapon ban treaty. Two-thirds of the world’s nations vote to adopt the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
USA and North Korea
“If the United States attacks North Korea, it will respond with nuclear weapons.” That’s the reaction of the North Korean administration after threats and heavy critics from US President Donald Trump.
Trump VS Kim Jong-un
To be continued…
