Splitting the Atom
The awesome, magical, yet devastating power of the atom.
The birth of nuclear energy.
Nuclear fission is discovered at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Chemistry in December of 1938. Physicists and chemists Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Strassman would expose a uranium sample to a neutron source, discovering that the Uranium sample was broken down into much lighter elements while simultaneously releasing a tremendous amount of energy. These results were contradictory to the traditionally accepted model of radioactive decay at the time.
The scientific community sound the alarm bells.
The discovery of nuclear fission captured the attention of the physicist community, including scientist Leo Szilard, who theorized the potential exploitation of nuclear fission for energy production and weapons development. Realizing the potential use of Uranium for nuclear weapons, Szilard became concerned that it was only a matter of time before Nazi Germany would begin development of such weapons. After collaborations with physicist Eugene Wigner, they agreed that the United States must be warned of this revelation. Szilard and Wigner, with the help of Albert Einstein in Cutchogue , Ney York, drafted a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt informing him of the protentional for Uranium to be used as a weapon and urged for more research to be conducted in the States.
The Manhattan Project
Headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would begin mass scale nuclear weapons development, codenamed the "Manhattan Project".
The Gadget
Officially codenamed "Trinity", the Gadget was the culmination of the research conducted through Manhattan Project and was the first experimental nuclear weapon ever produced. Detonated the morning of July 16, 1945, at the Trinity test site in New Mexico, it marked a milestone in nuclear sciences. Releasing the energy equivalent of 25,000 tons of TNT, the blast was detected well over 100 miles away.
Little Boy and Fat Man
In a successful attempt to bring an end to the bloodiest conflict in history, the United States would deploy the only two nuclear warheads (and hopefully last) ever used in combat. The nuclear bomb codenamed "Little Boy" was detonated over the city of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945, having an estimated yield of the weapon was equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT. The weapon codenamed "Fat Man" was detonated over the city of Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945, having an estimated yield equivalent to 21,000 tons of TNT. An estimated 210,000 souls would perish, and many more gravely injured as a result of the bombings. The deployment of nuclear weapons on Japan during WWII remains controversial to this day.
The city of Nagasaki before and after nuclear detonation.
The beginning of an arms race
Marshall Island Testing Grounds
Nevada Proving Grounds
The beginning of an arms race
On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union tests its first ever nuclear bomb at the Semipalatinsk Test Site. This bomb was similar in size and design to the U.S. Trinity test and marked the start of a global nuclear arms race. The Semipalatinsk Test Site wouldn't see its last detonation until 1989. The Soviet Union would test a total of 456 atmospheric and subterranean nuclear bombs over the 50 year long duration the site was active.
The damage caused by these tests were shrouded by Soviet secrecy and to this day, the extent of the radioactive fallout and health ramifications remains unclear.
Marshall Island Testing Grounds
The Marshall Islands would become a major nuclear testing ground for the United States and would see testing from 1947 to 1962. A total of 105 atmospheric and underwater nuclear tests would be conducted in this region of the Pacific Ocean. These tests were comprised mostly of high yield atomic bombs, including the notable Castle Bravo thermonuclear test, the largest ever detonated by the United States. Due to gross miscalculations, the true power of the bomb was nearly three times what was expected, yielding the equivalent of 15 million tons of TNT. The unexpected yield and poor weather conditions resulted in large amounts of radioactive fallout, contaminating surrounded islands. Many inhabitants of the local islands would suffer radiation poisoning and lifelong ailments as a direct result of the nuclear testing.
Nevada Proving Grounds
First established in late 1950, the Nevada Proving Grounds would see the most nuclear testing of any region in the world. From its inception till its last full scale nuclear test in 1992, this remote region in southern Nevada would host a total of 1,021 nuclear detonations. The site is still active for non-critical mass experiments and tests. Many notable tests were conducted here, including the Sedan nuclear test.
The Sedan nuclear test sought to explore nuclear application of excavation and mining. The test proved semi-successful, moving approximately 6.6 million cubic yards of soil. This was also a massive issue as radioactive isotopes mixed with the soil ejected high into the atmosphere. Fallout traveled as far as the east coast, with a majority of detectable fallout settling in Iowa.
