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2022</time>  | <span>Original: <time dateTime="2017-09-06T14:50:36">September 6, 2017</time></span></p></div><div class="page-header__sharing hide-print"><button class="button is-style-standalone is-style-standalone--dark-background has-icon"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path d="M16 1H4C2.9 1 2 1.9 2 3V17H4V3H16V1ZM19 5H8C6.9 5 6 5.9 6 7V21C6 22.1 6.9 23 8 23H19C20.1 23 21 22.1 21 21V7C21 5.9 20.1 5 19 5ZM19 21H8V7H19V21Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg>copy page link</button><button class="button has-icon button--print page-header__print-button has-dark-background-with-outline" type="button" aria-label="Print this page"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" title="Print" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path d="M19 7.5H5C3.34 7.5 2 8.84 2 10.5V16.5H6V20.5H18V16.5H22V10.5C22 8.84 20.66 7.5 19 7.5ZM16 18.5H8V13.5H16V18.5ZM19 11.5C18.45 11.5 18 11.05 18 10.5C18 9.95 18.45 9.5 19 9.5C19.55 9.5 20 9.95 20 10.5C20 11.05 19.55 11.5 19 11.5ZM18 2.5H6V6.5H18V2.5Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg><span class="button__desktop-text">Print Page</span></button></div></div></div></div><figure class="page-header__figure hide-print"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="Thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll, March 1954. The unexpected spread of fallout from the test led to awareness of, and research into, radioactive pollution." sizes="100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=640&height=426.66666666666663&crop=640%3A426.66666666666663%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=750&height=500&crop=750%3A500%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=828&height=552&crop=828%3A552%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1080&height=540&crop=1080%3A540%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1248&height=624&crop=1248%3A624%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1920&height=960&crop=1920%3A960%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=2048&height=1024&crop=2048%3A1024%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=3840&height=1920&crop=3840%3A1920%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=3840&height=1920&crop=3840%3A1920%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover"/></span><figcaption class="image-credit"><span>Thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll, March 1954. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)</span></figcaption></figure></header><div class="article-content-box"><div class="article-intro-toc"><nav class="block-table-of-contents" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="table-of-contents-heading"><h2 class="block-table-of-contents__heading" id="table-of-contents-heading">Table of Contents</h2><ol class="block-table-of-contents__list"><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#nuclear-bombs-and-hydrogen-bombs" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Nuclear Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#manhattan-project" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Manhattan Project</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#who-invented-the-atomic-bomb" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Who Invented the Atomic Bomb?</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#hiroshima-and-nagasaki-bombings" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Hiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings </a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#the-cold-war" class="block-table-of-contents__link">The Cold War </a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#cuban-missile-crisis" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Cuban Missile Crisis </a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#three-mile-island" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Three Mile Island </a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-npt" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty (NPT) </a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#illegal-nuclear-weapon-states" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Illegal Nuclear Weapon States</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#north-korea" class="block-table-of-contents__link">North Korea</a></li><li class="block-table-of-contents__element button is-style-standalone"><a href="#sources" class="block-table-of-contents__link">Sources</a></li></ol></nav><div class="article-intro"><p>The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs are powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy. Scientists first developed nuclear weapons technology during World War II. Atomic bombs have been used only twice in war—both times by the United States against Japan at the end of World War II, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A period of nuclear proliferation followed that war, and during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union vied for supremacy in a global nuclear arms race.<strong><a href="https://watch.historyvault.com/specials/hiroshima-75-years-later"></a></strong></p></div></div><div class="article-content content"><h2 id="nuclear-bombs-and-hydrogen-bombs">Nuclear Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs</h2><p>A discovery by nuclear physicists in a laboratory in Berlin, Germany, in 1938 made the first atomic bomb possible, after Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassman discovered nuclear fission.</p><p>In nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom of radioactive material splits into two or more smaller nuclei, which causes a sudden, powerful release of energy. The discovery of nuclear fission opened up the possibility of nuclear technologies, including weapons.</p><p>Atomic bombs get their energy from fission reactions. Thermonuclear weapons, or hydrogen bombs, rely on a combination of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is another type of reaction in which two lighter atoms combine to release energy.</p><div class="wp-block wp-block-history-video"><div class="continues-video-player"><div class="video-player" tabindex="-1"><button class="video-player__close" aria-label="Close and pause the video" type="button"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M19 6.41L17.59 5 12 10.59 6.41 5 5 6.41 10.59 12 5 17.59 6.41 19 12 13.41 17.59 19 19 17.59 13.41 12 19 6.41z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button><div class="video-player-decoy" style="background-image:url(https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/579/435/BRAND_THC_HOSF_248341_SFB_000_2398_5_20200724_01_0415484_HD.jpg)"><div class="video-player-decoy__title-wrapper"><div class="video-player-decoy__title" aria-hidden="true">History Shorts: How the Atomic Bomb Was Used in WWII</div></div><button type="button" class="video-player-decoy__play" aria-label="Play History Shorts: How the Atomic Bomb Was Used in WWII"><span class="video-player-decoy__play-icon"></span></button></div></div></div></div><h2 id="manhattan-project">Manhattan Project</h2><p>On December 28, 1942, President <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/franklin-d-roosevelt">Franklin D. Roosevelt</a> authorized the formation of the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/the-manhattan-project">Manhattan Project</a> to bring together various scientists and military officials working on nuclear research.</p><p>The Manhattan Project was the code name for the American-led effort to develop a functional atomic bomb during <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii">World War II</a>. The project was started in response to fears that German scientists had been working on a weapon using nuclear technology since the 1930s.</p><h2 id="who-invented-the-atomic-bomb">Who Invented the Atomic Bomb?</h2><p>Much of the work in the Manhattan Project was performed in Los Alamos, <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-mexico">New Mexico</a>, under the direction of theoretical physicist <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/j-robert-oppenheimer-9429168">J. Robert Oppenheimer</a>, the “<a href="https://www.history.com/news/father-of-the-atomic-bomb-was-blacklisted-for-opposing-h-bomb">father of the atomic bomb</a>.” </p><p>On July 16, 1945, in a remote desert location near Alamogordo, <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-mexico">New Mexico</a>, the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated—the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/trinity-test">Trinity Test</a>. It created an enormous mushroom cloud some 40,000 feet high and ushered in the Atomic Age.</p><div class="block-story-grid"><div class="card-grid is-style-2-col"><div class="card-grid__container"><article class="card-grid-item"><a aria-label="Watch Historic Footage of Atomic Test Explosions" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" class="card-grid-item__link" link-name="" href="/topics/inventions/atomic-test-explosions-video"><figure class="card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit is-fallback"><div class="card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain" aria-hidden="true"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover"/><noscript><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/history-article-default.desktop.jpg"/></noscript></span></div></figure><div class="post-item__video-badges"><div class="post-item__video-wrapper"><div class="post-item__video-meta"></div><div class="post-item__video-play-container"><div class="button has-red-background-color has-icon has-transparent-border"><svg title="Play Icon" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" class="post-item__play-icon" width="20" height="20"><path d="M12 2C6.477 2 2 6.477 2 12C2 17.523 6.477 22 12 22C17.523 22 22 17.523 22 12C22 6.477 17.523 2 12 2ZM12 4C16.411 4 20 7.589 20 12C20 16.411 16.411 20 12 20C7.589 20 4 16.411 4 12C4 7.589 7.589 4 12 4ZM10 7.5V16.5L16 12L10 7.5Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></div></div></div></div></a><div class="card-grid-item__contain"><a class="card-grid-item__title-link" link-name="Watch Historic Footage of Atomic Test Explosions - This footage of two nuclear‑test explosions in Hawaii reveal a destructive power so massive it’s still hard to fathom. | Courtesy of the Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office" href="/topics/inventions/atomic-test-explosions-video"><h2 class="card-grid-item__title">Watch Historic Footage of Atomic Test Explosions</h2><p class="card-grid-item__excerpt">This footage of two nuclear‑test explosions in Hawaii reveal a destructive power so massive it’s still hard to fathom. | Courtesy of the Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office</p><div class="card-grid-item__cta"><span class="button is-style-standalone has-icon">Watch now<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="18" height="18" class="card-grid-item__cta-icon"><path d="M17.0297 4.72031L23.7797 11.4703C23.925 11.6156 24 11.8078 24 11.9578C24 12.1078 23.9268 12.3416 23.7803 12.488L17.0303 19.238C16.7373 19.5309 16.2624 19.5309 15.9699 19.238C15.6774 18.945 15.677 18.4702 15.9699 18.1777L21.4403 12.7073H0.75C0.335438 12.7073 0 12.3719 0 11.9995C0 11.585 0.335438 11.2495 0.75 11.2495H21.4406L15.9703 5.77921C15.6773 5.48625 15.6773 5.0114 15.9703 4.7189C16.2633 4.4264 16.7391 4.42687 17.0297 4.72031Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></div></a></div></article><article class="card-grid-item"><a aria-label="How Did Emperor Hirohito Respond to the Atomic Bomb Attacks?" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" class="card-grid-item__link" link-name="" href="/topics/asian-history/hirohito-video"><figure class="card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit is-fallback"><div class="card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain" aria-hidden="true"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover"/><noscript><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/history-article-default.desktop.jpg"/></noscript></span></div></figure><div class="post-item__video-badges"><div class="post-item__video-wrapper"><div class="post-item__video-meta"></div><div class="post-item__video-play-container"><div class="button has-red-background-color has-icon has-transparent-border"><svg title="Play Icon" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" class="post-item__play-icon" width="20" height="20"><path d="M12 2C6.477 2 2 6.477 2 12C2 17.523 6.477 22 12 22C17.523 22 22 17.523 22 12C22 6.477 17.523 2 12 2ZM12 4C16.411 4 20 7.589 20 12C20 16.411 16.411 20 12 20C7.589 20 4 16.411 4 12C4 7.589 7.589 4 12 4ZM10 7.5V16.5L16 12L10 7.5Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></div></div></div></div></a><div class="card-grid-item__contain"><a class="card-grid-item__title-link" link-name="How Did Emperor Hirohito Respond to the Atomic Bomb Attacks? - After the devastating bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the leadership of Japanese Emperor Hirohito was put to the test." href="/topics/asian-history/hirohito-video"><h2 class="card-grid-item__title">How Did Emperor Hirohito Respond to the Atomic Bomb Attacks?</h2><p class="card-grid-item__excerpt">After the devastating bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the leadership of Japanese Emperor Hirohito was put to the test.</p><div class="card-grid-item__cta"><span class="button is-style-standalone has-icon">Watch now<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="18" height="18" class="card-grid-item__cta-icon"><path d="M17.0297 4.72031L23.7797 11.4703C23.925 11.6156 24 11.8078 24 11.9578C24 12.1078 23.9268 12.3416 23.7803 12.488L17.0303 19.238C16.7373 19.5309 16.2624 19.5309 15.9699 19.238C15.6774 18.945 15.677 18.4702 15.9699 18.1777L21.4403 12.7073H0.75C0.335438 12.7073 0 12.3719 0 11.9995C0 11.585 0.335438 11.2495 0.75 11.2495H21.4406L15.9703 5.77921C15.6773 5.48625 15.6773 5.0114 15.9703 4.7189C16.2633 4.4264 16.7391 4.42687 17.0297 4.72031Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></div></a></div></article></div></div></div><h2 id="hiroshima-and-nagasaki-bombings">Hiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings </h2><div class="wp-block-gallery is-style-slideshow is-style-slideshow" id="gallery-a922aee5-bd04-49ea-b7b2-b67bfd360ec4"><div class="container"><div class="swiper"><div class="swiper-wrapper"><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">An atomic bomb, codenamed "Little Boy," was dropped over Hiroshima Japan on August 6, 1945. The bomb, which detonated with an energy of around 15 kilotons of TNT, was the first nuclear weapon deployed in wartime.  </figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="The men who made the historic flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Top: Flight crew of Enola Gay, attackers of Hiroshima. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander. (Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="The men who made the historic flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Top: Flight crew of Enola Gay, attackers of Hiroshima. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander. (Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">The crew of the Boeing B-29 bomber, Enola Gay, which made the flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander. </figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">A view of the atomic bomb as it is hoisted into the bay of the Enola Gay on the North Field of Tinian airbase, North Marianas Islands, early August, 1945. </figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Hiroshima in ruins after the dropping of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. The circle indicates the target of the bomb. The bomb directly killed an estimated 80,000 people. By the end of the year, injury and radiation brought the total number of deaths to between 90,000 and 166,000. </figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">The plutonium bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man," is shown in transport. It would be the second nuclear bomb dropped by U.S. forces in World War II.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="7th September 1945: View of one of the only structures left standing, one day after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The building, also known as the Genbaku Dome, is now the centerpiece of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park." src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="7th September 1945: View of one of the only structures left standing, one day after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The building, also known as the Genbaku Dome, is now the centerpiece of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park." loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">An Allied correspondent stands in rubble on September 7, 1945, looking to the ruins of a cinema after the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Children in Hiroshima, Japan are shown wearing masks to combat the odor of death after the city was destroyed two months earlier.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Survivors hospitalized in Hiroshima show their bodies covered with keloids caused by the atomic bomb.</figcaption></figure></div><div class="slideshow-gallery__credit"><strong>1 / 8: </strong><span class="slideshow-gallery__credit-text"><span>MPI/Getty Images</span></span></div><div class="slideshow-gallery__pagination"></div></div><div class="slideshow-gallery__buttons"><button class="slideshow-gallery__button slideshow-gallery__prev"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="20" height="20"><path d="M15.428 22a1.52 1.52 0 0 1-1.111-.488L6.46 13.178a1.738 1.738 0 0 1 0-2.356l7.857-8.334a1.508 1.508 0 0 1 2.222 0 1.738 1.738 0 0 1 0 2.357L9.793 12l6.747 7.156a1.739 1.739 0 0 1 0 2.357c-.307.325-.71.487-1.112.487Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button><button class="slideshow-gallery__button slideshow-gallery__next"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="20" height="20"><path d="M7.714 22c-.439 0-.877-.163-1.212-.488a1.633 1.633 0 0 1 0-2.357l7.362-7.154-7.362-7.156a1.633 1.633 0 0 1 0-2.357 1.749 1.749 0 0 1 2.424 0l8.572 8.333c.67.651.67 1.706 0 2.357L8.926 21.51c-.334.329-.773.49-1.212.49Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button></div></div></div><p>Scientists at Los Alamos had developed two distinct types of atomic bombs by 1945—a uranium-based design called “the Little Boy” and a plutonium-based weapon called “the Fat Man.” (Uranium and plutonium are both radioactive elements.)</p><p>While the war in Europe had ended in April, fighting in the Pacific continued between Japanese forces and U.S. troops. In late July, President <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/harry-truman">Harry Truman</a> called for Japan’s surrender with the <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japan-accepts-potsdam-terms-agrees-to-unconditional-surrender">Potsdam Declaration</a>. The declaration promised “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan did not surrender.</p><p>On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped its first atomic bomb from a B-29 bomber plane called the Enola Gay over the city of <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-bomber-drops-atomic-bomb-on-hiroshima">Hiroshima</a>, Japan. The “Little Boy” exploded with about 13 kilotons of force, leveling five square miles of the city and killing 80,000 people instantly. Tens of thousands more would later die from radiation exposure.</p><p>When the Japanese did not immediately surrender, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb three days later on the city of <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-nagasaki">Nagasaki</a>. The “Fat Man” killed an estimated 40,000 people on impact.</p><p>Nagasaki had not been the primary target for the second bomb. American bombers initially had targeted the city of Kokura, where Japan had one of its largest munitions plants, but smoke from firebombing raids obscured the sky over Kokura. American planes then turned toward their secondary target, Nagasaki.</p><p>Citing the devastating power of “a new and most cruel bomb,” Japanese Emperor <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/hirohito">Hirohito</a> announced his country’s surrender on August 15—a day that became known as ‘<a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day">V-J Day</a>’—ending World War II.</p><div class="block-story-grid"><div class="card-grid is-style-3-col"><div class="card-grid__container"><article class="card-grid-item"><a aria-label="Museums Still Can’t Agree on How to Talk About the 1945 Atomic Bombing of Japan" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" class="card-grid-item__link" link-name="" href="/news/atomic-bomb-hiroshima-nagasaki-museum-controversy-los-alamos"><figure class="card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit is-fallback"><div class="card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain" aria-hidden="true"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover"/><noscript><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/history-article-default.desktop.jpg"/></noscript></span></div></figure></a><div class="card-grid-item__contain"><a class="card-grid-item__title-link" link-name="Museums Still Can’t Agree on How to Talk About the 1945 Atomic Bombing of Japan - The Los Alamos Historical Museum halted a Japanese exhibition on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki because of a controversy over its message of abolishing nuclear weapons." href="/news/atomic-bomb-hiroshima-nagasaki-museum-controversy-los-alamos"><h2 class="card-grid-item__title">Museums Still Can’t Agree on How to Talk About the 1945 Atomic Bombing of Japan</h2><p class="card-grid-item__excerpt">The Los Alamos Historical Museum halted a Japanese exhibition on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki because of a controversy over its message of abolishing nuclear weapons. </p><div class="card-grid-item__cta"><span class="button is-style-standalone has-icon">Read more<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="18" height="18" class="card-grid-item__cta-icon"><path d="M17.0297 4.72031L23.7797 11.4703C23.925 11.6156 24 11.8078 24 11.9578C24 12.1078 23.9268 12.3416 23.7803 12.488L17.0303 19.238C16.7373 19.5309 16.2624 19.5309 15.9699 19.238C15.6774 18.945 15.677 18.4702 15.9699 18.1777L21.4403 12.7073H0.75C0.335438 12.7073 0 12.3719 0 11.9995C0 11.585 0.335438 11.2495 0.75 11.2495H21.4406L15.9703 5.77921C15.6773 5.48625 15.6773 5.0114 15.9703 4.7189C16.2633 4.4264 16.7391 4.42687 17.0297 4.72031Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></div></a></div></article><article class="card-grid-item"><a aria-label="“Father of the Atomic Bomb” Was Blacklisted for Opposing H‑Bomb" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" class="card-grid-item__link" link-name="" href="/news/father-of-the-atomic-bomb-was-blacklisted-for-opposing-h-bomb"><figure class="card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit is-fallback"><div class="card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain" aria-hidden="true"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover"/><noscript><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/history-article-default.desktop.jpg"/></noscript></span></div></figure></a><div class="card-grid-item__contain"><a class="card-grid-item__title-link" link-name="“Father of the Atomic Bomb” Was Blacklisted for Opposing H‑Bomb - After leading development of the first atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer called for controls on nuclear weapons. It cost him his job." href="/news/father-of-the-atomic-bomb-was-blacklisted-for-opposing-h-bomb"><h2 class="card-grid-item__title">“Father of the Atomic Bomb” Was Blacklisted for Opposing H‑Bomb</h2><p class="card-grid-item__excerpt">After leading development of the first atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer called for controls on nuclear weapons. It cost him his job.</p><div class="card-grid-item__cta"><span class="button is-style-standalone has-icon">Read more<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="18" height="18" class="card-grid-item__cta-icon"><path d="M17.0297 4.72031L23.7797 11.4703C23.925 11.6156 24 11.8078 24 11.9578C24 12.1078 23.9268 12.3416 23.7803 12.488L17.0303 19.238C16.7373 19.5309 16.2624 19.5309 15.9699 19.238C15.6774 18.945 15.677 18.4702 15.9699 18.1777L21.4403 12.7073H0.75C0.335438 12.7073 0 12.3719 0 11.9995C0 11.585 0.335438 11.2495 0.75 11.2495H21.4406L15.9703 5.77921C15.6773 5.48625 15.6773 5.0114 15.9703 4.7189C16.2633 4.4264 16.7391 4.42687 17.0297 4.72031Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></div></a></div></article><article class="card-grid-item"><a aria-label="Photos: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Before and After the Bombs" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" class="card-grid-item__link" link-name="" href="/news/hiroshima-nagasaki-atomic-bomb-photos-before-after"><figure class="card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit is-fallback"><div class="card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain" aria-hidden="true"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover"/><noscript><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/history-article-default.desktop.jpg"/></noscript></span></div></figure></a><div class="card-grid-item__contain"><a class="card-grid-item__title-link" link-name="Photos: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Before and After the Bombs - Before the 1945 atomic blasts, they were thriving cities. In a flash, they became desolate wastelands." href="/news/hiroshima-nagasaki-atomic-bomb-photos-before-after"><h2 class="card-grid-item__title">Photos: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Before and After the Bombs</h2><p class="card-grid-item__excerpt">Before the 1945 atomic blasts, they were thriving cities. In a flash, they became desolate wastelands.</p><div class="card-grid-item__cta"><span class="button is-style-standalone has-icon">Read more<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="18" height="18" class="card-grid-item__cta-icon"><path d="M17.0297 4.72031L23.7797 11.4703C23.925 11.6156 24 11.8078 24 11.9578C24 12.1078 23.9268 12.3416 23.7803 12.488L17.0303 19.238C16.7373 19.5309 16.2624 19.5309 15.9699 19.238C15.6774 18.945 15.677 18.4702 15.9699 18.1777L21.4403 12.7073H0.75C0.335438 12.7073 0 12.3719 0 11.9995C0 11.585 0.335438 11.2495 0.75 11.2495H21.4406L15.9703 5.77921C15.6773 5.48625 15.6773 5.0114 15.9703 4.7189C16.2633 4.4264 16.7391 4.42687 17.0297 4.72031Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></div></a></div></article></div></div></div><h2 id="the-cold-war">The Cold War </h2><div class="wp-block-gallery is-style-slideshow is-style-slideshow" id="gallery-89fdcc2b-4799-402f-8c1d-514336a9826d"><div class="container"><div class="swiper"><div class="swiper-wrapper"><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear device, signaling a new and terrifying phase in the Cold War. By the early 1950s, school children began practicing "Duck and Cover" air-raid drills in schools, as in this 1955 photo. Read more: How 'Duck-and-Cover' Drills Channeled America's Cold War Anxiety</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">The drills were part of President Harry S. Truman’s Federal Civil Defense Administration program and aimed to educate the public about what ordinary people could do to protect themselves.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="Bert the Turle" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="Bert the Turle" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">In 1951, the FCDA hired Archer Productions, a New York City ad agency, to create a film to educate schoolchildren about how to protect themselves in the case of atomic attack. The resulting film, Duck and Cover, was filmed at a school in Astoria, Queens, and alternated animation with images of students and adults practicing the recommended safety techniques.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Two sisters sit together in their home after an atomic war drill with their family. They're holding up identification tags they wear around their necks in the March 1954 photo. </figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">A family during an atomic war drill. The drills were easy to mock—how could ducking and covering really protect you from a nuclear bomb? However, some historians argue the drills could have offered some protection if a blast (of a smaller scale) occurred a distance away.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">In 1961, the Soviets exploded a 58-megaton bomb dubbed “Tsar Bomba,” which had a force equivalent to more than 50 million tons of TNT—more than all the explosives used in World War II. In response, the focus of U.S. civil defense had moved on to the construction of fallout shelters. Here, a mother and her children make a practice run for their $5,000 steel backyard fallout shelter in Sacramento, California, on Oct. 5, 1961</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">This fiberglass-reinforced plastic portable shelter was unveiled on Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. on June 13, 1950. Designed for both military personnel and equipment, it was made up of 12 separated sections, each interchangeable with any other. According to its manufacturer, the shelter could be erected or dismantled by three men in 30 to 45 minutes and could comfortably accommodate 12 men barracks-style, or 20 in field conditions. </figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">In this Sept. 12, 1958 file picture, Beverly Wysocki, top, and Marie Graskamp, right, Two women emerge from a family-type bomb shelter on display in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 12, 1958. </figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">This is an interior view of 4,500-lb. steel underground radiation fallout shelter where a couple with three children relax amidst bunk beds and shelves of provisions. Their backyard shelter also included a radio and crates of canned food and water. During the Cold War arms race, Americans were bombarded with contradictory images and messages that frightened even as they tried to reassure. </figcaption></figure></div><div class="slideshow-gallery__credit"><strong>1 / 9: </strong><span class="slideshow-gallery__credit-text"><span>American Stock/Getty Images</span></span></div><div class="slideshow-gallery__pagination"></div></div><div class="slideshow-gallery__buttons"><button class="slideshow-gallery__button slideshow-gallery__prev"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="20" height="20"><path d="M15.428 22a1.52 1.52 0 0 1-1.111-.488L6.46 13.178a1.738 1.738 0 0 1 0-2.356l7.857-8.334a1.508 1.508 0 0 1 2.222 0 1.738 1.738 0 0 1 0 2.357L9.793 12l6.747 7.156a1.739 1.739 0 0 1 0 2.357c-.307.325-.71.487-1.112.487Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button><button class="slideshow-gallery__button slideshow-gallery__next"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="20" height="20"><path d="M7.714 22c-.439 0-.877-.163-1.212-.488a1.633 1.633 0 0 1 0-2.357l7.362-7.154-7.362-7.156a1.633 1.633 0 0 1 0-2.357 1.749 1.749 0 0 1 2.424 0l8.572 8.333c.67.651.67 1.706 0 2.357L8.926 21.51c-.334.329-.773.49-1.212.49Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button></div></div></div><p>The United States was the only country with nuclear weaponry in the years immediately following World War II. The <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/russia/history-of-the-soviet-union">Soviet Union</a> initially lacked the knowledge and raw materials to build nuclear warheads.</p><p>Within just a few years, however, the U.S.S.R. had obtained—through a network of spies engaging in international espionage—blueprints of a fission-style bomb and discovered regional sources of uranium in Eastern Europe. On August 29, 1949, the Soviets tested their first nuclear bomb.</p><p>The United States responded by launching a program in 1950 to develop more advanced thermonuclear weapons. The <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war">Cold War</a> <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/arms-race">arms race</a> had begun, and nuclear testing and research became high-profile goals for several countries, especially the United States and the Soviet Union.</p><h2 id="cuban-missile-crisis">Cuban Missile Crisis </h2><p>Over the next few decades, each world superpower would stockpile tens of thousands of nuclear warheads. Other countries, including Great Britain, France, and China, developed nuclear weapons during this time, too.</p><p>To many observers, the world appeared on the brink of nuclear war in October of 1962. The Soviet Union had installed nuclear-armed missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. This resulted in a 13-day military and political standoff known as the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis">Cuban Missile Crisis</a>.</p><p>President <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy">John F. Kennedy</a> enacted a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear the United States was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize the perceived threat.</p><p>Disaster was avoided when the United States agreed to an offer made by Soviet leader <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/nikita-sergeyevich-khrushchev">Nikita Khrushchev</a> to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the United States promising not to invade Cuba.</p><h2 id="three-mile-island">Three Mile Island </h2><p>Many Americans became concerned about the health and environmental effects of nuclear fallout—the radiation left in the environment after a nuclear blast—in the wake of World War II and after extensive nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific during the 1940s and 1950s.</p><p>The antinuclear movement emerged as a social movement in 1961 at the height of the Cold War. During Women Strike for Peace demonstrations on November 1, 1961 co-organized by activist <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/bella-abzug">Bella Abzug</a>, roughly 50,000 women marched in 60 cities in the United States to demonstrate against nuclear weapons.</p><p>The antinuclear movement captured national attention again in the 1970s and 1980s with high profile protests against nuclear reactors after the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/three-mile-island">Three Mile Island</a> accident—a nuclear meltdown at a <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/pennsylvania">Pennsylvania</a> power plant in 1979.</p><p>In 1982, a million people marched in <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-york-city">New York City</a> protesting nuclear weapons and urging an end to the Cold War nuclear arms race. It was one of the largest political protests in United States history.</p><h2 id="nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-npt">Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) </h2><p>The United States and Soviet Union took the lead in negotiating an international agreement to halt the further spread of nuclear weapons in 1968.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/">Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons</a> (also called the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT) went into effect in 1970. It separated the world’s countries into two groups—nuclear weapons states and non-nuclear weapons states.</p><p>Nuclear weapons states included the five countries that were known to possess nuclear weapons at the time—the United States, the U.S.S.R., Great Britain, France and China.</p><p>According to the treaty, nuclear weapons states agreed not to use nuclear weapons or help non-nuclear states acquire nuclear weapons. They also agreed to gradually reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons with the eventual goal of total disarmament. Non-nuclear weapons states agreed not to acquire or develop nuclear weapons.</p><p>When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, there were still thousands of nuclear weapons scattered across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Many of the weapons were located in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. These weapons were deactivated and returned to Russia.</p><div class="wp-block wp-block-history-video"><div class="continues-video-player"><div class="video-player" tabindex="-1"><button class="video-player__close" aria-label="Close and pause the video" type="button"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M19 6.41L17.59 5 12 10.59 6.41 5 5 6.41 10.59 12 5 17.59 6.41 19 12 13.41 17.59 19 19 17.59 13.41 12 19 6.41z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button><div class="video-player-decoy" style="background-image:url(https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/731/167/BRAND_THC_HOSF_230195_SFB_000_2398_5_20190927_01_HD.jpg)"><div class="video-player-decoy__title-wrapper"><div class="video-player-decoy__title" aria-hidden="true">The Interstate System...and Atomic Bombs?</div></div><button type="button" class="video-player-decoy__play" aria-label="Play The Interstate System...and Atomic Bombs?"><span class="video-player-decoy__play-icon"></span></button></div></div></div></div><h2 id="illegal-nuclear-weapon-states">Illegal Nuclear Weapon States</h2><p>Some countries wanted the option of developing their own nuclear weapons arsenal and never signed the NPT. India was the first country outside of the NPT to test a nuclear weapon in 1974.</p><p>Other non-signatories to the NTP include: Pakistan, <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/history-of-israel">Israel</a> and South Sudan. Pakistan has a known nuclear weapons program. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though has never officially confirmed or denied the existence of a nuclear weapons program. South Sudan is not known or believed to possess nuclear weapons.</p><h2 id="north-korea">North Korea</h2><p><a href="https://www.history.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-north-korea">North Korea</a> initially signed the NPT treaty, but announced its withdrawal from the agreement in 2003. Since 2006, North Korea has openly tested nuclear weapons, drawing sanctions from various nations and international bodies.</p><p>North Korea tested two long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2017—one reportedly capable of reaching the United States mainland. In September 2017, North Korea claimed it had tested a hydrogen bomb that could fit on top an intercontinental ballistic missile.</p><p>Iran, while a signatory of the NPT, has said it has the capability to initiate production of nuclear weapons at short notice.</p><h2 id="sources">Sources</h2><p>Pioneering Nuclear Science: The Discovery of Nuclear Fission. <a href="https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/pioneering-nuclear-science-discovery-nuclear-fission">International Atomic Energy Agency</a>.<br> The Development and Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. <a href="https://educationalgames.nobelprize.org/educational/peace/nuclear_weapons/readmore.html">NobelPrize.org</a>.<br> Here are the facts about North Korea’s nuclear test. <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/03/548262043/here-are-the-facts-about-north-koreas-nuclear-test">NPR</a>.</p></div><footer class="article-footer article-footer--topic"><div class="author-byline article__contained has-elevation"><div class="byline__content"><div class="byline__information"><div class="byline__author-wrapper"><p class="byline__author"><span aria-hidden="true">By: </span><a aria-label="Read more articles from History.com Editors" link-name="History.com Editors" href="/author/history">History.com Editors</a></p></div><div class="byline__description"><p><a href="http://history.com/">HISTORY.com</a> works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including <a href="https://www.history.com/author/amanda-onion">Amanda Onion</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/author/missy-sullivan">Missy Sullivan</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/author/matt-mullen">Matt Mullen</a> and Christian Zapata.</p> </div></div></div></div><hr/><div></div><div class="container--article-wide"><div class="article-footer__facts-citation"><aside class="article-sources"><h2 class="article-sources__title">Citation Information</h2><dl class="article-sources__list"><div class="article-sources__pair"><dt class="article-sources__pair-title">Article Title</dt><dd class="article-sources__pair-description">Atomic Bomb History</dd></div><div class="article-sources__pair"><dt class="article-sources__pair-title">Author</dt><dd class="article-sources__pair-description"><a class="article-header__author" aria-label="Read more articles from History.com Editors" link-name="History.com Editors" href="/author/history">History.com Editors</a></dd></div><div class="article-sources__pair"><dt class="article-sources__pair-title">Website Name</dt><dd class="article-sources__pair-description">HISTORY</dd></div><div class="article-sources__pair"><dt class="article-sources__pair-title">URL</dt><dd class="article-sources__pair-description"><a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history">https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history</a></dd></div><div class="article-sources__pair"><dt class="article-sources__pair-title">Date Accessed</dt><dd class="article-sources__pair-description">November 25, 2024</dd></div><div class="article-sources__pair"><dt class="article-sources__pair-title">Publisher</dt><dd class="article-sources__pair-description">A&E Television Networks</dd></div><div class="article-sources__pair"><dt class="article-sources__pair-title">Last Updated</dt><dd class="article-sources__pair-description">November 9, 2022</dd></div><div class="article-sources__pair"><dt class="article-sources__pair-title">Original Published Date</dt><dd class="article-sources__pair-description">September 6, 2017</dd></div></dl></aside><div class="article-footer__facts-wrapper"><aside class="article-fact-check"><h2 class="article-fact-check__title">Fact Check</h2><p class="article-fact-check__copy">We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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(Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)","credit_url":"","getty_2025":""},"class_list":["post-10533","attachment","type-attachment","status-inherit","hentry"],"prepublish_checks":{},"description":{"rendered":"\u003cp class=\"attachment\"\u003e\u003ca href='https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg'\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=300\u0026amp;height=169\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll, March 1954. The unexpected spread of fallout from the test led to awareness of, and research into, radioactive pollution.\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"},"caption":{"rendered":""},"alt_text":"Thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll, March 1954. The unexpected spread of fallout from the test led to awareness of, and research into, radioactive pollution.","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image/jpeg","media_details":{"file":"2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"width":"150","height":"150","crop":"1","source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=150\u0026height=150\u0026crop=1:1","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"medium":{"width":"300","height":169,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=300\u0026height=169","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"medium_large":{"width":"768","height":"0","crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=768","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"large":{"width":"1024","height":576,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1024\u0026height=576","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"1536x1536":{"width":1536,"height":864,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1536\u0026height=864","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"2048x2048":{"width":2048,"height":1152,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=2048\u0026height=1152","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"corpnews_large":{"width":1250,"height":625,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1250\u0026height=625\u0026crop=2:1","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"corpnews_medium":{"width":800,"height":400,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=800\u0026height=400\u0026crop=2:1","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"corpnews_small":{"width":500,"height":250,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=500\u0026height=250\u0026crop=2:1","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"full":{"file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg","width":3984,"height":2241,"mime_type":"image/jpeg","source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg"}},"width":3984,"height":2241,"filesize":5495351},"post":10532,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"images":{"10533":{"id":10533,"date":"2023-02-28T07:42:31","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T07:42:31","guid":{"rendered":"https://wp.editorial.aetnd.com/topics/stories/great-recession-timeline"},"modified":"2023-02-28T07:42:31","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T07:42:31","slug":"gettyimages-463918343","status":"inherit","type":"attachment","link":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/gettyimages-463918343/","title":{"rendered":"GettyImages-463918343"},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"credit":"Thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll, March 1954. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)","credit_url":"","getty_2025":""},"class_list":["post-10533","attachment","type-attachment","status-inherit","hentry"],"prepublish_checks":{},"description":{"rendered":"\u003cp class=\"attachment\"\u003e\u003ca href='https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg'\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=300\u0026amp;height=169\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll, March 1954. The unexpected spread of fallout from the test led to awareness of, and research into, radioactive pollution.\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"},"caption":{"rendered":""},"alt_text":"Thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll, March 1954. The unexpected spread of fallout from the test led to awareness of, and research into, radioactive pollution.","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image/jpeg","media_details":{"file":"2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"width":"150","height":"150","crop":"1","source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=150\u0026height=150\u0026crop=1:1","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"medium":{"width":"300","height":169,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=300\u0026height=169","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"medium_large":{"width":"768","height":"0","crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=768","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"large":{"width":"1024","height":576,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1024\u0026height=576","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"1536x1536":{"width":1536,"height":864,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1536\u0026height=864","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"2048x2048":{"width":2048,"height":1152,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=2048\u0026height=1152","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"corpnews_large":{"width":1250,"height":625,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=1250\u0026height=625\u0026crop=2:1","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"corpnews_medium":{"width":800,"height":400,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=800\u0026height=400\u0026crop=2:1","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"corpnews_small":{"width":500,"height":250,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg?width=500\u0026height=250\u0026crop=2:1","file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg"},"full":{"file":"gettyimages-463918343.jpg","width":3984,"height":2241,"mime_type":"image/jpeg","source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg"}},"width":3984,"height":2241,"filesize":5495351},"post":10532,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg"}},"post":{"id":10532,"date":"2017-09-06T14:50:36","date_gmt":"2017-09-06T14:50:36","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2022-11-09T21:49:17","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T21:49:17","slug":"atomic-bomb-history","status":"publish","type":"topic","link":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history","title":{"rendered":"Atomic Bomb History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nuclear-bombs-and-hydrogen-bombs\"\u003eNuclear Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eA discovery by nuclear physicists in a laboratory in Berlin, Germany, in 1938 made the first atomic bomb possible, after Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassman discovered nuclear fission.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom of radioactive material splits into two or more smaller nuclei, which causes a sudden, powerful release of energy. The discovery of nuclear fission opened up the possibility of nuclear technologies, including weapons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eAtomic bombs get their energy from fission reactions. Thermonuclear weapons, or hydrogen bombs, rely on a combination of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is another type of reaction in which two lighter atoms combine to release energy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"manhattan-project\"\u003eManhattan Project\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn December 28, 1942, President \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/franklin-d-roosevelt\"\u003eFranklin D. Roosevelt\u003c/a\u003e authorized the formation of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/the-manhattan-project\"\u003eManhattan Project\u003c/a\u003e to bring together various scientists and military officials working on nuclear research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Manhattan Project was the code name for the American-led effort to develop a functional atomic bomb during \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/a\u003e. The project was started in response to fears that German scientists had been working on a weapon using nuclear technology since the 1930s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"who-invented-the-atomic-bomb\"\u003eWho Invented the Atomic Bomb?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eMuch of the work in the Manhattan Project was performed in Los Alamos, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-mexico\"\u003eNew Mexico\u003c/a\u003e, under the direction of theoretical physicist \u003ca href=\"https://www.biography.com/people/j-robert-oppenheimer-9429168\"\u003eJ. Robert Oppenheimer\u003c/a\u003e, the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/father-of-the-atomic-bomb-was-blacklisted-for-opposing-h-bomb\"\u003efather of the atomic bomb\u003c/a\u003e.” \u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn July 16, 1945, in a remote desert location near Alamogordo, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-mexico\"\u003eNew Mexico\u003c/a\u003e, the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated—the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/trinity-test\"\u003eTrinity Test\u003c/a\u003e. It created an enormous mushroom cloud some 40,000 feet high and ushered in the Atomic Age.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-story-grid\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid post-grid is-style-2-col post-grid--narrow post-grid--gutter-sm\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item--gutter-sm post-grid-item-sm-50\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"Watch Historic Footage of Atomic Test Explosions\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2012/05/atomic-test-explosions.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eWatch Historic Footage of Atomic Test Explosions\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item--gutter-sm post-grid-item-sm-50\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"How Did Emperor Hirohito Respond to the Atomic Bomb Attacks?\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/hirohito.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eAsian History\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eHow Did Emperor Hirohito Respond to the Atomic Bomb Attacks?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hiroshima-and-nagasaki-bombings\"\u003eHiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped is-style-slideshow wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"\u003e\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3848\" height=\"2452\" data-id=\"7407\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7407\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3848px) 100vw, 3848px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eAn atomic bomb, codenamed \u0026#8220;Little Boy,\u0026#8221; was dropped over Hiroshima Japan on August 6, 1945. The bomb, which detonated\u0026nbsp;with an energy of around 15 kilotons of TNT, was the first nuclear weapon deployed in wartime. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"775\" data-id=\"7408\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"The men who made the historic flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Top: Flight crew of Enola Gay, attackers of Hiroshima. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander. (Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-7408\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eThe crew of the Boeing B-29 bomber, Enola Gay, which made the flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5103\" height=\"3827\" data-id=\"7409\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7409\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5103px) 100vw, 5103px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA view of the atomic bomb as it is hoisted into the bay of the Enola Gay on the North Field of Tinian airbase, North Marianas Islands, early August, 1945.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2367\" height=\"3544\" data-id=\"7410\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7410\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2367px) 100vw, 2367px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eHiroshima in ruins after the dropping of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. The circle indicates the target of the bomb. The bomb directly killed an estimated 80,000 people. By the end of the year, injury and radiation brought the total number of deaths to between 90,000 and 166,000.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5057\" height=\"3791\" data-id=\"7411\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7411\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5057px) 100vw, 5057px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eThe\u0026nbsp;plutonium bomb, nicknamed \u0026#8220;Fat Man,\u0026#8221; is shown in transport. It would be the second nuclear bomb dropped by U.S. forces in World War II.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4014\" height=\"2950\" data-id=\"7412\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"7th September 1945: View of one of the only structures left standing, one day after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The building, also known as the Genbaku Dome, is now the centerpiece of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.\" class=\"wp-image-7412\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4014px) 100vw, 4014px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eAn Allied correspondent stands in rubble on September 7, 1945, looking to the ruins of a cinema after the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1633\" height=\"1749\" data-id=\"7413\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7413\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=1633 1633w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1633px) 100vw, 1633px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eChildren in Hiroshima, Japan are shown wearing masks to combat the odor of death after the city was destroyed two months earlier.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1610\" height=\"2048\" data-id=\"7414\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7414\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=1610 1610w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1610px) 100vw, 1610px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eSurvivors hospitalized in Hiroshima show their bodies covered with keloids caused by the atomic bomb.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eScientists at Los Alamos had developed two distinct types of atomic bombs by 1945—a uranium-based design called “the Little Boy” and a plutonium-based weapon called “the Fat Man.” (Uranium and plutonium are both radioactive elements.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the war in Europe had ended in April, fighting in the Pacific continued between Japanese forces and U.S. troops. In late July, President \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/harry-truman\"\u003eHarry Truman\u003c/a\u003e called for Japan’s surrender with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japan-accepts-potsdam-terms-agrees-to-unconditional-surrender\"\u003ePotsdam Declaration\u003c/a\u003e. The declaration promised “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan did not surrender.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn August 6, 1945, the United States dropped its first atomic bomb from a B-29 bomber plane called the Enola Gay over the city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-bomber-drops-atomic-bomb-on-hiroshima\"\u003eHiroshima\u003c/a\u003e, Japan. The “Little Boy” exploded with about 13 kilotons of force, leveling five square miles of the city and killing 80,000 people instantly. Tens of thousands more would later die from radiation exposure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the Japanese did not immediately surrender, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb three days later on the city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-nagasaki\"\u003eNagasaki\u003c/a\u003e. The “Fat Man” killed an estimated 40,000 people on impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eNagasaki had not been the primary target for the second bomb. American bombers initially had targeted the city of Kokura, where Japan had one of its largest munitions plants, but smoke from firebombing raids obscured the sky over Kokura. American planes then turned toward their secondary target, Nagasaki.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eCiting the devastating power of “a new and most cruel bomb,” Japanese Emperor \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/hirohito\"\u003eHirohito\u003c/a\u003e announced his country’s surrender on August 15—a day that became known as ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day\"\u003eV-J Day\u003c/a\u003e’—ending World War II.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-story-grid\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid post-grid is-style-3-col \"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"Museums Still Can’t Agree on How to Talk About the 1945 Atomic Bombing of Japan\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2018/04/ap_18092700808490.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eMuseums Still Can’t Agree on How to Talk About the 1945 Atomic Bombing of Japan\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"When Oppenheimer, \u0026#039;Father of the Atomic Bomb,\u0026#039; Was Blacklisted\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/08/gettyimages-90739961-2.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eWhen Oppenheimer, \u0026#039;Father of the Atomic Bomb,\u0026#039; Was Blacklisted\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"Photos: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Before and After the Bombs\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2020/07/hiroshima-nagasaki-before-after-gettyimages-53368867.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003ePhotos: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Before and After the Bombs\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-cold-war\"\u003eThe Cold War \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped is-style-slideshow wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"\u003e\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3556\" height=\"2808\" data-id=\"7174\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7174\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3556px) 100vw, 3556px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eOn August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear device, signaling a new and terrifying phase in the Cold War. By the early 1950s, school children began practicing \u0026#8220;Duck and Cover\u0026#8221; air-raid drills in schools, as in this 1955 photo.\u0026nbsp;Read more: How \u0026#8216;Duck-and-Cover\u0026#8217; Drills Channeled America\u0026#8217;s Cold War Anxiety\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2785\" height=\"3570\" data-id=\"7175\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7175\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2785px) 100vw, 2785px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eThe drills were part of President Harry S. Truman’s Federal Civil Defense Administration program and aimed to educate the public about what ordinary people could do to protect themselves.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3292\" height=\"2799\" data-id=\"7176\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"Bert the Turle\" class=\"wp-image-7176\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3292px) 100vw, 3292px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eIn 1951, the FCDA hired Archer Productions, a New York City ad agency, to create a film to educate schoolchildren about how to protect themselves in the case of atomic attack. The resulting film, Duck and Cover, was filmed at a school in Astoria, Queens, and alternated animation with images of students and adults practicing the recommended safety techniques.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2100\" height=\"2100\" data-id=\"7177\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7177\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=150 150w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eTwo sisters sit together in their home after an atomic war drill with their family. They\u0026#8217;re holding up identification tags they wear around their necks in the March 1954 photo.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1948\" height=\"2452\" data-id=\"7178\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7178\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=1948 1948w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1948px) 100vw, 1948px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA family during an atomic war drill.\u0026nbsp;The drills were easy to mock—how could ducking and covering really protect you from a nuclear bomb? However, some historians argue the drills could have offered some protection if a blast (of a smaller scale) occurred a distance away.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1998\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"7179\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7179\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=1998 1998w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1998px) 100vw, 1998px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eIn 1961, the Soviets exploded a 58-megaton bomb dubbed “Tsar Bomba,” which had a force equivalent to more than 50 million tons of TNT—more than all the explosives used in World War II. In response,\u0026nbsp;the focus of U.S. civil defense had moved on to the construction of fallout shelters. Here, a\u0026nbsp;mother and her children make a practice run for their $5,000 steel backyard fallout shelter in Sacramento, California, on Oct. 5, 1961\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3518\" height=\"2858\" data-id=\"7180\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7180\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3518px) 100vw, 3518px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eThis fiberglass-reinforced plastic portable shelter was unveiled on Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. on June 13, 1950. Designed for both military personnel and equipment, it was made up of 12 separated sections, each interchangeable with any other. According to its manufacturer, the shelter could be erected or dismantled by three men in 30 to 45 minutes and could comfortably accommodate 12 men barracks-style, or 20 in field conditions.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2929\" data-id=\"7181\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7181\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eIn this Sept. 12, 1958 file picture, Beverly Wysocki, top, and Marie Graskamp, right, Two women emerge from a family-type bomb shelter on display in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 12, 1958.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3032\" height=\"2048\" data-id=\"7182\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7182\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3032px) 100vw, 3032px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eThis is an interior view of 4,500-lb. steel underground radiation fallout shelter where a couple with three children relax amidst bunk beds and shelves of provisions. Their backyard shelter also included a radio and crates of canned food and water. During the Cold War arms race,\u0026nbsp;Americans were bombarded with contradictory images and messages that frightened even as they tried to reassure.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States was the only country with nuclear weaponry in the years immediately following World War II. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/russia/history-of-the-soviet-union\"\u003eSoviet Union\u003c/a\u003e initially lacked the knowledge and raw materials to build nuclear warheads.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWithin just a few years, however, the U.S.S.R. had obtained—through a network of spies engaging in international espionage—blueprints of a fission-style bomb and discovered regional sources of uranium in Eastern Europe. On August 29, 1949, the Soviets tested their first nuclear bomb.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States responded by launching a program in 1950 to develop more advanced thermonuclear weapons. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war\"\u003eCold War\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/arms-race\"\u003earms race\u003c/a\u003e had begun, and nuclear testing and research became high-profile goals for several countries, especially the United States and the Soviet Union.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cuban-missile-crisis\"\u003eCuban Missile Crisis \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the next few decades, each world superpower would stockpile tens of thousands of nuclear warheads. Other countries, including Great Britain, France, and China, developed nuclear weapons during this time, too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eTo many observers, the world appeared on the brink of nuclear war in October of 1962. The Soviet Union had installed nuclear-armed missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. This resulted in a 13-day military and political standoff known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis\"\u003eCuban Missile Crisis\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003ePresident \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy\"\u003eJohn F. Kennedy\u003c/a\u003e enacted a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear the United States was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize the perceived threat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eDisaster was avoided when the United States agreed to an offer made by Soviet leader \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/nikita-sergeyevich-khrushchev\"\u003eNikita Khrushchev\u003c/a\u003e to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the United States promising not to invade Cuba.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"three-mile-island\"\u003eThree Mile Island \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eMany Americans became concerned about the health and environmental effects of nuclear fallout—the radiation left in the environment after a nuclear blast—in the wake of World War II and after extensive nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific during the 1940s and 1950s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe antinuclear movement emerged as a social movement in 1961 at the height of the Cold War. During Women Strike for Peace demonstrations on November 1, 1961 co-organized by activist \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/bella-abzug\"\u003eBella Abzug\u003c/a\u003e, roughly 50,000 women marched in 60 cities in the United States to demonstrate against nuclear weapons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe antinuclear movement captured national attention again in the 1970s and 1980s with high profile protests against nuclear reactors after the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/three-mile-island\"\u003eThree Mile Island\u003c/a\u003e accident—a nuclear meltdown at a \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/pennsylvania\"\u003ePennsylvania\u003c/a\u003e power plant in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1982, a million people marched in \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-york-city\"\u003eNew York City\u003c/a\u003e protesting nuclear weapons and urging an end to the Cold War nuclear arms race. It was one of the largest political protests in United States history.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-npt\"\u003eNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States and Soviet Union took the lead in negotiating an international agreement to halt the further spread of nuclear weapons in 1968.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/\"\u003eTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons\u003c/a\u003e (also called the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT) went into effect in 1970. It separated the world’s countries into two groups—nuclear weapons states and non-nuclear weapons states.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eNuclear weapons states included the five countries that were known to possess nuclear weapons at the time—the United States, the U.S.S.R., Great Britain, France and China.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the treaty, nuclear weapons states agreed not to use nuclear weapons or help non-nuclear states acquire nuclear weapons. They also agreed to gradually reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons with the eventual goal of total disarmament. Non-nuclear weapons states agreed not to acquire or develop nuclear weapons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, there were still thousands of nuclear weapons scattered across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Many of the weapons were located in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. These weapons were deactivated and returned to Russia.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"illegal-nuclear-weapon-states\"\u003eIllegal Nuclear Weapon States\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome countries wanted the option of developing their own nuclear weapons arsenal and never signed the NPT. India was the first country outside of the NPT to test a nuclear weapon in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eOther non-signatories to the NTP include: Pakistan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/history-of-israel\"\u003eIsrael\u003c/a\u003e and South Sudan. Pakistan has a known nuclear weapons program. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though has never officially confirmed or denied the existence of a nuclear weapons program. South Sudan is not known or believed to possess nuclear weapons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"north-korea\"\u003eNorth Korea\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-north-korea\"\u003eNorth Korea\u003c/a\u003e initially signed the NPT treaty, but announced its withdrawal from the agreement in 2003. Since 2006, North Korea has openly tested nuclear weapons, drawing sanctions from various nations and international bodies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eNorth Korea tested two long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2017—one reportedly capable of reaching the United States mainland. In September 2017, North Korea claimed it had tested a hydrogen bomb that could fit on top an intercontinental ballistic missile.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIran, while a signatory of the NPT, has said it has the capability to initiate production of nuclear weapons at short notice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sources\"\u003eSources\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003ePioneering Nuclear Science: The Discovery of Nuclear Fission. \u003ca href=\"https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/pioneering-nuclear-science-discovery-nuclear-fission\"\u003eInternational Atomic Energy Agency\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e The Development and Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. \u003ca href=\"https://educationalgames.nobelprize.org/educational/peace/nuclear_weapons/readmore.html\"\u003eNobelPrize.org\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e Here are the facts about North Korea’s nuclear test. \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/03/548262043/here-are-the-facts-about-north-koreas-nuclear-test\"\u003eNPR\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n","protected":false,"blocks":[{"clientId":"7c683da3-777a-4bac-a44b-7a629eb41cd2","name":"history/table-of-contents","attributes":{"headings":[{"label":"Nuclear Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#nuclear-bombs-and-hydrogen-bombs"},{"label":"Manhattan Project","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#manhattan-project"},{"label":"Who Invented the Atomic Bomb?","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#who-invented-the-atomic-bomb"},{"label":"Hiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#hiroshima-and-nagasaki-bombings"},{"label":"The Cold War ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#the-cold-war"},{"label":"Cuban Missile Crisis ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#cuban-missile-crisis"},{"label":"Three Mile Island ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#three-mile-island"},{"label":"Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-npt"},{"label":"Illegal Nuclear Weapon States","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#illegal-nuclear-weapon-states"},{"label":"North Korea","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#north-korea"},{"label":"Sources","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#sources"}]},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"4e4c5fe4-1106-40a0-a373-abb549b75be5","name":"history/intro","attributes":[],"innerBlocks":[{"clientId":"a6612cc7-549e-411b-8244-11c43c5802d5","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs are powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy. Scientists first developed nuclear weapons technology during World War II. Atomic bombs have been used only twice in war—both times by the United States against Japan at the end of World War II, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A period of nuclear proliferation followed that war, and during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union vied for supremacy in a global nuclear arms race.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://watch.historyvault.com/specials/hiroshima-75-years-later\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]}]},{"clientId":"ab33e482-25b6-4821-92b8-f362d07e1594","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Nuclear Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs","level":2,"id":"nuclear-bombs-and-hydrogen-bombs"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6820c62f-fb66-46ed-a6ff-22f4d36eae49","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"A discovery by nuclear physicists in a laboratory in Berlin, Germany, in 1938 made the first atomic bomb possible, after Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassman discovered nuclear fission.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"84cf2eed-c101-4333-8dfa-490c197c5d79","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom of radioactive material splits into two or more smaller nuclei, which causes a sudden, powerful release of energy. The discovery of nuclear fission opened up the possibility of nuclear technologies, including weapons.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6f053f68-d536-409a-ab5e-f3b5f1ceb0ab","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Atomic bombs get their energy from fission reactions. Thermonuclear weapons, or hydrogen bombs, rely on a combination of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is another type of reaction in which two lighter atoms combine to release energy.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6d3b81a0-0d15-420e-b1de-06e9137598f5","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1890392131857","duration":62,"contentRating":"TV-PG","title":"History Shorts: How the Atomic Bomb Was Used in WWII","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"The United States' decision to use the atomic bomb was made after great debate, but still led to a massive loss of human life.","pplId":["248341"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/NUKK7x_G_Jnr","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/579/435/BRAND_THC_HOSF_248341_SFB_000_2398_5_20200724_01_0415484_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"1be865f0-5ffb-449c-9098-777dad46bd8d","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Manhattan Project","level":2,"id":"manhattan-project"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"67e2844d-c97f-4d59-9eab-79dc82d87542","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"On December 28, 1942, President \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/franklin-d-roosevelt\"\u003eFranklin D. Roosevelt\u003c/a\u003e authorized the formation of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/the-manhattan-project\"\u003eManhattan Project\u003c/a\u003e to bring together various scientists and military officials working on nuclear research.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c757714a-b590-46ac-9378-2580fadcaedd","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The Manhattan Project was the code name for the American-led effort to develop a functional atomic bomb during \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/a\u003e. The project was started in response to fears that German scientists had been working on a weapon using nuclear technology since the 1930s.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"3f7630c8-b564-45bb-ac01-0c03eb679473","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Who Invented the Atomic Bomb?","level":2,"id":"who-invented-the-atomic-bomb"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"7be65701-1363-44c4-9b03-1c9a43df8b24","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Much of the work in the Manhattan Project was performed in Los Alamos, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-mexico\"\u003eNew Mexico\u003c/a\u003e, under the direction of theoretical physicist \u003ca href=\"https://www.biography.com/people/j-robert-oppenheimer-9429168\"\u003eJ. Robert Oppenheimer\u003c/a\u003e, the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/father-of-the-atomic-bomb-was-blacklisted-for-opposing-h-bomb\"\u003efather of the atomic bomb\u003c/a\u003e.” ","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"30e3f5ff-defd-4665-ad98-a4cd6c8457ee","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"On July 16, 1945, in a remote desert location near Alamogordo, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-mexico\"\u003eNew Mexico\u003c/a\u003e, the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated—the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/trinity-test\"\u003eTrinity Test\u003c/a\u003e. It created an enormous mushroom cloud some 40,000 feet high and ushered in the Atomic Age.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"47b393e5-64f3-4b9e-9474-68bfccaad434","name":"corpnews-blocks/story-grid","attributes":{"posts":"[{\"id\":2773,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/topics\\/inventions\\/atomic-test-explosions-video\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"Watch Historic Footage of Atomic Test Explosions\"},\"type\":\"topic\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"This footage of two nuclear-test explosions in Hawaii reveal a destructive power so massive it\u0026#8217;s still hard to fathom. | Courtesy of the Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"Videos\"},{\"id\":6036,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/topics\\/asian-history\\/hirohito-video\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"How Did Emperor Hirohito Respond to the Atomic Bomb Attacks?\"},\"type\":\"topic\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"After the devastating bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the leadership of Japanese Emperor Hirohito was put to the test.\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"Videos\"}]","className":"is-style-2-col","preview":false,"postType":["any"],"cardsHeading":""},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"115f27b3-0938-4f18-a75e-039ed969c9ad","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Hiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings ","level":2,"id":"hiroshima-and-nagasaki-bombings"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a922aee5-bd04-49ea-b7b2-b67bfd360ec4","name":"core/gallery","attributes":{"columns":2,"linkTo":"none","className":"is-style-slideshow","images":[],"ids":[],"shortCodeTransforms":[],"imageCrop":true,"randomOrder":false,"fixedHeight":true,"sizeSlug":"large","allowResize":false},"innerBlocks":[{"clientId":"24f88ae3-fd8a-4df9-8040-01d7564fdd57","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7407,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"MPI/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"An atomic bomb, codenamed \"Little Boy,\" was dropped over Hiroshima Japan on August 6, 1945. The bomb, which detonated\u0026nbsp;with an energy of around 15 kilotons of TNT, was the first nuclear weapon deployed in wartime. \u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":653},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f8b94791-617f-4f77-ab30-9f7a94f01eaa","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7408,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Bettmann/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"The men who made the historic flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Top: Flight crew of Enola Gay, attackers of Hiroshima. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander. (Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)","caption":"The crew of the Boeing B-29 bomber, Enola Gay, which made the flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":775},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"61f05845-ffcd-459e-aaf3-42a17dc22173","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7409,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"PhotoQuest/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"A view of the atomic bomb as it is hoisted into the bay of the Enola Gay on the North Field of Tinian airbase, North Marianas Islands, early August, 1945.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"fb7d7c38-20fd-492f-84ce-18864e32af26","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7410,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Hiroshima in ruins after the dropping of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. The circle indicates the target of the bomb. The bomb directly killed an estimated 80,000 people. By the end of the year, injury and radiation brought the total number of deaths to between 90,000 and 166,000.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":1534},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"e08ca0a5-eedb-4eec-87a5-6161b16cca2f","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7411,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"PhotoQuest/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"The\u0026nbsp;plutonium bomb, nicknamed \"Fat Man,\" is shown in transport. It would be the second nuclear bomb dropped by U.S. forces in World War II.","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f7128410-cbbf-4fd3-b43a-ffea15915965","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7412,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Popperfoto/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"7th September 1945: View of one of the only structures left standing, one day after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The building, also known as the Genbaku Dome, is now the centerpiece of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.","caption":"An Allied correspondent stands in rubble on September 7, 1945, looking to the ruins of a cinema after the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima.","width":1024,"height":753},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"83f53fbc-d853-48af-b7b7-33d18a32c609","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7413,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Keystone/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Children in Hiroshima, Japan are shown wearing masks to combat the odor of death after the city was destroyed two months earlier.","width":1024,"height":1097},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"231c7029-fc02-47a6-b123-d48c6d89b647","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7414,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Carl Mydans/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Survivors hospitalized in Hiroshima show their bodies covered with keloids caused by the atomic bomb.","width":1024,"height":1303},"innerBlocks":[]}]},{"clientId":"321c7307-ca3f-427d-831e-9f1695de73e5","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Scientists at Los Alamos had developed two distinct types of atomic bombs by 1945—a uranium-based design called “the Little Boy” and a plutonium-based weapon called “the Fat Man.” (Uranium and plutonium are both radioactive elements.)","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"9ebf643d-21db-424c-ad5c-a12385be2cb0","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"While the war in Europe had ended in April, fighting in the Pacific continued between Japanese forces and U.S. troops. In late July, President \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/harry-truman\"\u003eHarry Truman\u003c/a\u003e called for Japan’s surrender with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japan-accepts-potsdam-terms-agrees-to-unconditional-surrender\"\u003ePotsdam Declaration\u003c/a\u003e. The declaration promised “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan did not surrender.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"9584bfcd-cc42-4549-9de4-83289fbb7cb8","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped its first atomic bomb from a B-29 bomber plane called the Enola Gay over the city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-bomber-drops-atomic-bomb-on-hiroshima\"\u003eHiroshima\u003c/a\u003e, Japan. The “Little Boy” exploded with about 13 kilotons of force, leveling five square miles of the city and killing 80,000 people instantly. Tens of thousands more would later die from radiation exposure.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c708b348-a487-4df2-889d-166206e30a2e","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"When the Japanese did not immediately surrender, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb three days later on the city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-nagasaki\"\u003eNagasaki\u003c/a\u003e. The “Fat Man” killed an estimated 40,000 people on impact.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c99fbb05-d7ee-43a2-8c55-2cf92e1275f7","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Nagasaki had not been the primary target for the second bomb. American bombers initially had targeted the city of Kokura, where Japan had one of its largest munitions plants, but smoke from firebombing raids obscured the sky over Kokura. American planes then turned toward their secondary target, Nagasaki.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8a1e0642-5be4-4932-b957-4452db0ab72c","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Citing the devastating power of “a new and most cruel bomb,” Japanese Emperor \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/hirohito\"\u003eHirohito\u003c/a\u003e announced his country’s surrender on August 15—a day that became known as ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day\"\u003eV-J Day\u003c/a\u003e’—ending World War II.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"92af6e61-a7e5-4dc6-a8d5-baad139b9353","name":"corpnews-blocks/story-grid","attributes":{"posts":"[{\"id\":24915,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/atomic-bomb-hiroshima-nagasaki-museum-controversy-los-alamos\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"Museums Still Can\\u2019t Agree on How to Talk About the 1945 Atomic Bombing of Japan\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"The Los Alamos Historical Museum halted a Japanese exhibition on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki because of a controversy over its message of abolishing nuclear weapons. \"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"},{\"id\":31672,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/father-of-the-atomic-bomb-was-blacklisted-for-opposing-h-bomb\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"\\u201cFather of the Atomic Bomb\\u201d Was Blacklisted for Opposing H-Bomb\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"After leading development of the first atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer called for controls on nuclear weapons. It cost him his job.\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"},{\"id\":32139,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/hiroshima-nagasaki-atomic-bomb-photos-before-after\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"Photos: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Before and After the Bombs\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"Before the 1945 atomic blasts, they were thriving cities. In a flash, they became desolate wastelands.\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"}]","className":"is-style-3-col","preview":false,"postType":["any"],"cardsHeading":""},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"ef9b7944-42c3-4a14-898a-add432e289b3","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"The Cold War ","level":2,"id":"the-cold-war"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"89fdcc2b-4799-402f-8c1d-514336a9826d","name":"core/gallery","attributes":{"columns":2,"linkTo":"none","className":"is-style-slideshow","images":[],"ids":[],"shortCodeTransforms":[],"imageCrop":true,"randomOrder":false,"fixedHeight":true,"sizeSlug":"large","allowResize":false},"innerBlocks":[{"clientId":"0ba782a0-1584-44db-8722-a1acdd58bd8e","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7174,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"American Stock/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear device, signaling a new and terrifying phase in the Cold War. By the early 1950s, school children began practicing \"Duck and Cover\" air-raid drills in schools, as in this 1955 photo.\u0026nbsp;Read more: How 'Duck-and-Cover' Drills Channeled America's Cold War Anxiety","width":1024,"height":809},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"d2ca167e-2961-43a1-9a32-789de482ff38","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7175,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Bettmann Archive/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"The drills were part of President Harry S. Truman’s Federal Civil Defense Administration program and aimed to educate the public about what ordinary people could do to protect themselves.","width":1024,"height":1313},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"ee3b47f1-59b0-4633-afa5-070aef84385b","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7176,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Corbis/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"Bert the Turle","caption":"In 1951, the FCDA hired Archer Productions, a New York City ad agency, to create a film to educate schoolchildren about how to protect themselves in the case of atomic attack. The resulting film, Duck and Cover, was filmed at a school in Astoria, Queens, and alternated animation with images of students and adults practicing the recommended safety techniques.","width":1024,"height":871},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"d6dd2663-ada1-48ea-bdd7-bb1e75376707","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7177,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"John Dominis/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Two sisters sit together in their home after an atomic war drill with their family. They're holding up identification tags they wear around their necks in the March 1954 photo.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":1024},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"fc3bb4c9-4a96-4736-81b7-f425baeef270","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7178,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"John Dominis/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"A family during an atomic war drill.\u0026nbsp;The drills were easy to mock—how could ducking and covering really protect you from a nuclear bomb? However, some historians argue the drills could have offered some protection if a blast (of a smaller scale) occurred a distance away.","width":1024,"height":1289},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"70463708-c3ea-41ff-a55e-0ad3b1694163","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7179,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Sal Veder/AP Photo","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"In 1961, the Soviets exploded a 58-megaton bomb dubbed “Tsar Bomba,” which had a force equivalent to more than 50 million tons of TNT—more than all the explosives used in World War II. In response,\u0026nbsp;the focus of U.S. civil defense had moved on to the construction of fallout shelters. Here, a\u0026nbsp;mother and her children make a practice run for their $5,000 steel backyard fallout shelter in Sacramento, California, on Oct. 5, 1961","width":1024,"height":1538},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c795a4c3-11f4-40f2-aa10-6d38dd17f505","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7180,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Bettmann Archive/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"This fiberglass-reinforced plastic portable shelter was unveiled on Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. on June 13, 1950. Designed for both military personnel and equipment, it was made up of 12 separated sections, each interchangeable with any other. According to its manufacturer, the shelter could be erected or dismantled by three men in 30 to 45 minutes and could comfortably accommodate 12 men barracks-style, or 20 in field conditions.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":832},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f9d58d70-d65e-468f-b212-98696bd22092","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7181,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"AP Photo","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"In this Sept. 12, 1958 file picture, Beverly Wysocki, top, and Marie Graskamp, right, Two women emerge from a family-type bomb shelter on display in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 12, 1958.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":1000},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"5f0c8682-6a03-4214-a3ee-640ef96bca94","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7182,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Walter Sanders/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"This is an interior view of 4,500-lb. steel underground radiation fallout shelter where a couple with three children relax amidst bunk beds and shelves of provisions. Their backyard shelter also included a radio and crates of canned food and water. During the Cold War arms race,\u0026nbsp;Americans were bombarded with contradictory images and messages that frightened even as they tried to reassure.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":692},"innerBlocks":[]}]},{"clientId":"f59d369c-4058-43fd-aa72-e173a54005e9","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The United States was the only country with nuclear weaponry in the years immediately following World War II. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/russia/history-of-the-soviet-union\"\u003eSoviet Union\u003c/a\u003e initially lacked the knowledge and raw materials to build nuclear warheads.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"be67b799-db53-4a2e-b120-e4f827878b7f","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Within just a few years, however, the U.S.S.R. had obtained—through a network of spies engaging in international espionage—blueprints of a fission-style bomb and discovered regional sources of uranium in Eastern Europe. On August 29, 1949, the Soviets tested their first nuclear bomb.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"e038da4a-4808-419b-bdc7-c6fa4c860ff2","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The United States responded by launching a program in 1950 to develop more advanced thermonuclear weapons. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war\"\u003eCold War\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/arms-race\"\u003earms race\u003c/a\u003e had begun, and nuclear testing and research became high-profile goals for several countries, especially the United States and the Soviet Union.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"23b058a8-f5c6-4c51-a93d-29410556581b","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Cuban Missile Crisis ","level":2,"id":"cuban-missile-crisis"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"78c89855-3911-4157-b7f9-2da3dcde4593","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Over the next few decades, each world superpower would stockpile tens of thousands of nuclear warheads. Other countries, including Great Britain, France, and China, developed nuclear weapons during this time, too.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a4831efd-ecd9-49f1-9015-47ec55e4c0e9","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"To many observers, the world appeared on the brink of nuclear war in October of 1962. The Soviet Union had installed nuclear-armed missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. This resulted in a 13-day military and political standoff known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis\"\u003eCuban Missile Crisis\u003c/a\u003e.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"4ca7e4b0-dce7-4b44-b268-ca5bebb324d7","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"President \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy\"\u003eJohn F. Kennedy\u003c/a\u003e enacted a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear the United States was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize the perceived threat.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"d0fd57e7-9f8d-42ca-b89d-9b76854ff19b","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Disaster was avoided when the United States agreed to an offer made by Soviet leader \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/nikita-sergeyevich-khrushchev\"\u003eNikita Khrushchev\u003c/a\u003e to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the United States promising not to invade Cuba.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"11ad36c6-9e15-40fc-aaea-81e9f41a0f47","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Three Mile Island ","level":2,"id":"three-mile-island"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a480ba74-0d83-4534-80fc-ccf20b9df054","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Many Americans became concerned about the health and environmental effects of nuclear fallout—the radiation left in the environment after a nuclear blast—in the wake of World War II and after extensive nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific during the 1940s and 1950s.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8e1901be-24ca-4c18-b3c4-e2f7beb5bf40","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The antinuclear movement emerged as a social movement in 1961 at the height of the Cold War. During Women Strike for Peace demonstrations on November 1, 1961 co-organized by activist \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/bella-abzug\"\u003eBella Abzug\u003c/a\u003e, roughly 50,000 women marched in 60 cities in the United States to demonstrate against nuclear weapons.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"249cb994-42f1-4807-8847-273afa6a4ae5","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The antinuclear movement captured national attention again in the 1970s and 1980s with high profile protests against nuclear reactors after the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/three-mile-island\"\u003eThree Mile Island\u003c/a\u003e accident—a nuclear meltdown at a \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/pennsylvania\"\u003ePennsylvania\u003c/a\u003e power plant in 1979.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"7eec6faa-ec77-41c1-954f-2a51061340d2","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In 1982, a million people marched in \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-york-city\"\u003eNew York City\u003c/a\u003e protesting nuclear weapons and urging an end to the Cold War nuclear arms race. It was one of the largest political protests in United States history.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"47832cda-4a5d-45de-b17d-d41c4cf80b45","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ","level":2,"id":"nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-npt"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"e2758703-524a-4e3f-b449-5241cbfb93da","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The United States and Soviet Union took the lead in negotiating an international agreement to halt the further spread of nuclear weapons in 1968.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"326c9b93-3b2e-4b76-8a59-34829f34ae8f","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The \u003ca href=\"https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/\"\u003eTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons\u003c/a\u003e (also called the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT) went into effect in 1970. It separated the world’s countries into two groups—nuclear weapons states and non-nuclear weapons states.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"e487ea8b-e95b-4ab5-aa09-dc037c79b47a","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Nuclear weapons states included the five countries that were known to possess nuclear weapons at the time—the United States, the U.S.S.R., Great Britain, France and China.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"954fa6ac-85b5-4997-8ede-910e7e5d5103","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"According to the treaty, nuclear weapons states agreed not to use nuclear weapons or help non-nuclear states acquire nuclear weapons. They also agreed to gradually reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons with the eventual goal of total disarmament. Non-nuclear weapons states agreed not to acquire or develop nuclear weapons.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6541dd34-d8f2-4bdc-836b-46523ebed551","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, there were still thousands of nuclear weapons scattered across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Many of the weapons were located in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. These weapons were deactivated and returned to Russia.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"2e2ee9c9-55cc-449a-8901-d887702cd98e","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1616747075707","duration":60,"contentRating":"TV-PG","title":"The Interstate System...and Atomic Bombs?","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"Nuclear bombs played a key role in the planning and building of the Interstate Highway System.","pplId":["230195"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/bh5w6ILRUytl","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/731/167/BRAND_THC_HOSF_230195_SFB_000_2398_5_20190927_01_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"12886bb6-54bd-4f37-963f-cf1d27555685","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Illegal Nuclear Weapon States","level":2,"id":"illegal-nuclear-weapon-states"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"57f4d59d-a5ef-41eb-a0ca-4434d36ab5e0","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Some countries wanted the option of developing their own nuclear weapons arsenal and never signed the NPT. India was the first country outside of the NPT to test a nuclear weapon in 1974.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"eaa2d622-11dc-48ee-ad1d-d0ffc4e9b816","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Other non-signatories to the NTP include: Pakistan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/history-of-israel\"\u003eIsrael\u003c/a\u003e and South Sudan. Pakistan has a known nuclear weapons program. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though has never officially confirmed or denied the existence of a nuclear weapons program. South Sudan is not known or believed to possess nuclear weapons.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"93f19240-a91d-4faa-8abd-ec60a00d1b3c","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"North Korea","level":2,"id":"north-korea"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"fc0b76d1-44f5-4636-810d-906ea85b067d","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-north-korea\"\u003eNorth Korea\u003c/a\u003e initially signed the NPT treaty, but announced its withdrawal from the agreement in 2003. Since 2006, North Korea has openly tested nuclear weapons, drawing sanctions from various nations and international bodies.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"fb824078-9046-4031-b833-e5873ded5c34","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"North Korea tested two long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2017—one reportedly capable of reaching the United States mainland. In September 2017, North Korea claimed it had tested a hydrogen bomb that could fit on top an intercontinental ballistic missile.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a9c73c2b-b6aa-4b2c-9896-69829d7e21da","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Iran, while a signatory of the NPT, has said it has the capability to initiate production of nuclear weapons at short notice.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a9a80f8b-70ed-4303-8827-bdb601d4cea3","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Sources","level":2,"id":"sources"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"e9d26dd5-9410-4210-a00a-7175bf774437","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Pioneering Nuclear Science: The Discovery of Nuclear Fission. \u003ca href=\"https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/pioneering-nuclear-science-discovery-nuclear-fission\"\u003eInternational Atomic Energy Agency\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e The Development and Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. \u003ca href=\"https://educationalgames.nobelprize.org/educational/peace/nuclear_weapons/readmore.html\"\u003eNobelPrize.org\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e Here are the facts about North Korea’s nuclear test. \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/03/548262043/here-are-the-facts-about-north-koreas-nuclear-test\"\u003eNPR\u003c/a\u003e.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nuclear Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs A discovery by nuclear physicists in a laboratory in Berlin, Germany, in 1938 made the first atomic bomb possible, after Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassman discovered nuclear fission. In nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom of radioactive material splits into two or more smaller nuclei, which causes […]","protected":false},"featured_media":10533,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"video_platform_id":"","video_duration":0,"video_content_rating":"","video_disable_autoplay":false,"subhead":"","exclude_from_rss":false,"distribute_scheduled_post":[],"curated_related_posts":"","disable_related_posts":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"article_type":[],"story_byline":[406],"attribute":[6],"story_category":[45],"class_list":["post-10532","topic","type-topic","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","story_byline-history","attribute-object","story_category-world-war-ii"],"prepublish_checks":{},"article_type_meta":"","tags_meta":"","disable_interrupter":"","primary_term":null,"video_thumbnail":false,"hide_on_google_news":false,"yoast_head_json":{"title":"Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima \u0026 Nagasaki - HISTORY","description":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs, powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy, are regulated by international agreements.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima \u0026 Nagasaki - HISTORY","og_description":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs, powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy, are regulated by international agreements.","og_url":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history","og_site_name":"HISTORY","article_modified_time":"2022-11-09T21:49:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":576,"url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","type":"image/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima \u0026 Nagasaki - HISTORY","twitter_description":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs, powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy, are regulated by international agreements.","twitter_image":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history","url":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history","name":"Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima \u0026 Nagasaki - HISTORY","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.history.com#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","datePublished":"2017-09-06T14:50:36+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-09T21:49:17+00:00","description":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs, powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy, are regulated by international agreements.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/#primaryimage","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","contentUrl":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","width":3984,"height":2241,"caption":"Thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll, March 1954. The unexpected spread of fallout from the test led to awareness of, and research into, radioactive pollution."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.history.com"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Topics","item":"https://www.history.com/topics"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Atomic Bomb History"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://www.history.com#website","url":"https://www.history.com","name":"HISTORY","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://www.history.com/search/{search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.history.com/#/schema/person/3f3500adc1687f08297576e259e9bf5d","name":"Missy Sullivan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://www.history.com/#/schema/person/image/","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/84eb2467eeaefa3029c187e4e513e9f9?s=96\u0026d=mm\u0026r=g","contentUrl":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/84eb2467eeaefa3029c187e4e513e9f9?s=96\u0026d=mm\u0026r=g","caption":"Missy Sullivan"},"url":"https://www.history.com/author/missysullivan"}]},"news_article_schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima \u0026 Nagasaki - HISTORY","description":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs, powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy, are regulated by international agreements.","url":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/","thumbnailUrl":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","datePublished":"2017-09-06 14:50:36","dateModified":"2022-11-09 21:49:17","articleSection":"World War II","creator":[],"keywords":[],"author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.history.com/#/schema/person/3f3500adc1687f08297576e259e9bf5d","name":"Missy Sullivan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://www.history.com/#/schema/person/image/","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/84eb2467eeaefa3029c187e4e513e9f9?s=96\u0026d=mm\u0026r=g","contentUrl":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/84eb2467eeaefa3029c187e4e513e9f9?s=96\u0026d=mm\u0026r=g","caption":"Missy Sullivan"},"url":"https://www.history.com/author/missysullivan"}},"video_schema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"History Shorts: How the Atomic Bomb Was Used in WWII","description":"The United States' decision to use the atomic bomb was made after great debate, but still led to a massive loss of human life.","thumbnailUrl":["https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/579/435/BRAND_THC_HOSF_248341_SFB_000_2398_5_20200724_01_0415484_HD.jpg"],"duration":62,"embedUrl":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/"}}},"posts":[{"id":10532,"date":"2017-09-06T14:50:36","date_gmt":"2017-09-06T14:50:36","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2022-11-09T21:49:17","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T21:49:17","slug":"atomic-bomb-history","status":"publish","type":"topic","link":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history","title":{"rendered":"Atomic Bomb History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nuclear-bombs-and-hydrogen-bombs\"\u003eNuclear Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eA discovery by nuclear physicists in a laboratory in Berlin, Germany, in 1938 made the first atomic bomb possible, after Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassman discovered nuclear fission.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom of radioactive material splits into two or more smaller nuclei, which causes a sudden, powerful release of energy. The discovery of nuclear fission opened up the possibility of nuclear technologies, including weapons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eAtomic bombs get their energy from fission reactions. Thermonuclear weapons, or hydrogen bombs, rely on a combination of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is another type of reaction in which two lighter atoms combine to release energy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"manhattan-project\"\u003eManhattan Project\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn December 28, 1942, President \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/franklin-d-roosevelt\"\u003eFranklin D. Roosevelt\u003c/a\u003e authorized the formation of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/the-manhattan-project\"\u003eManhattan Project\u003c/a\u003e to bring together various scientists and military officials working on nuclear research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Manhattan Project was the code name for the American-led effort to develop a functional atomic bomb during \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/a\u003e. The project was started in response to fears that German scientists had been working on a weapon using nuclear technology since the 1930s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"who-invented-the-atomic-bomb\"\u003eWho Invented the Atomic Bomb?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eMuch of the work in the Manhattan Project was performed in Los Alamos, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-mexico\"\u003eNew Mexico\u003c/a\u003e, under the direction of theoretical physicist \u003ca href=\"https://www.biography.com/people/j-robert-oppenheimer-9429168\"\u003eJ. Robert Oppenheimer\u003c/a\u003e, the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/father-of-the-atomic-bomb-was-blacklisted-for-opposing-h-bomb\"\u003efather of the atomic bomb\u003c/a\u003e.” \u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn July 16, 1945, in a remote desert location near Alamogordo, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-mexico\"\u003eNew Mexico\u003c/a\u003e, the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated—the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/trinity-test\"\u003eTrinity Test\u003c/a\u003e. It created an enormous mushroom cloud some 40,000 feet high and ushered in the Atomic Age.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-story-grid\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid post-grid is-style-2-col post-grid--narrow post-grid--gutter-sm\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item--gutter-sm post-grid-item-sm-50\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"Watch Historic Footage of Atomic Test Explosions\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2012/05/atomic-test-explosions.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eWatch Historic Footage of Atomic Test Explosions\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item--gutter-sm post-grid-item-sm-50\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"How Did Emperor Hirohito Respond to the Atomic Bomb Attacks?\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/hirohito.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eAsian History\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eHow Did Emperor Hirohito Respond to the Atomic Bomb Attacks?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hiroshima-and-nagasaki-bombings\"\u003eHiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped is-style-slideshow wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"\u003e\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3848\" height=\"2452\" data-id=\"7407\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7407\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3848px) 100vw, 3848px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eAn atomic bomb, codenamed \u0026#8220;Little Boy,\u0026#8221; was dropped over Hiroshima Japan on August 6, 1945. The bomb, which detonated\u0026nbsp;with an energy of around 15 kilotons of TNT, was the first nuclear weapon deployed in wartime. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"775\" data-id=\"7408\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"The men who made the historic flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Top: Flight crew of Enola Gay, attackers of Hiroshima. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander. (Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-7408\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eThe crew of the Boeing B-29 bomber, Enola Gay, which made the flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5103\" height=\"3827\" data-id=\"7409\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7409\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5103px) 100vw, 5103px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA view of the atomic bomb as it is hoisted into the bay of the Enola Gay on the North Field of Tinian airbase, North Marianas Islands, early August, 1945.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2367\" height=\"3544\" data-id=\"7410\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7410\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2367px) 100vw, 2367px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eHiroshima in ruins after the dropping of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. The circle indicates the target of the bomb. The bomb directly killed an estimated 80,000 people. By the end of the year, injury and radiation brought the total number of deaths to between 90,000 and 166,000.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5057\" height=\"3791\" data-id=\"7411\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7411\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5057px) 100vw, 5057px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eThe\u0026nbsp;plutonium bomb, nicknamed \u0026#8220;Fat Man,\u0026#8221; is shown in transport. It would be the second nuclear bomb dropped by U.S. forces in World War II.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4014\" height=\"2950\" data-id=\"7412\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"7th September 1945: View of one of the only structures left standing, one day after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The building, also known as the Genbaku Dome, is now the centerpiece of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.\" class=\"wp-image-7412\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4014px) 100vw, 4014px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eAn Allied correspondent stands in rubble on September 7, 1945, looking to the ruins of a cinema after the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1633\" height=\"1749\" data-id=\"7413\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7413\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=1633 1633w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1633px) 100vw, 1633px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eChildren in Hiroshima, Japan are shown wearing masks to combat the odor of death after the city was destroyed two months earlier.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1610\" height=\"2048\" data-id=\"7414\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7414\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=1610 1610w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1610px) 100vw, 1610px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eSurvivors hospitalized in Hiroshima show their bodies covered with keloids caused by the atomic bomb.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eScientists at Los Alamos had developed two distinct types of atomic bombs by 1945—a uranium-based design called “the Little Boy” and a plutonium-based weapon called “the Fat Man.” (Uranium and plutonium are both radioactive elements.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the war in Europe had ended in April, fighting in the Pacific continued between Japanese forces and U.S. troops. In late July, President \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/harry-truman\"\u003eHarry Truman\u003c/a\u003e called for Japan’s surrender with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japan-accepts-potsdam-terms-agrees-to-unconditional-surrender\"\u003ePotsdam Declaration\u003c/a\u003e. The declaration promised “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan did not surrender.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn August 6, 1945, the United States dropped its first atomic bomb from a B-29 bomber plane called the Enola Gay over the city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-bomber-drops-atomic-bomb-on-hiroshima\"\u003eHiroshima\u003c/a\u003e, Japan. The “Little Boy” exploded with about 13 kilotons of force, leveling five square miles of the city and killing 80,000 people instantly. Tens of thousands more would later die from radiation exposure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the Japanese did not immediately surrender, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb three days later on the city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-nagasaki\"\u003eNagasaki\u003c/a\u003e. The “Fat Man” killed an estimated 40,000 people on impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eNagasaki had not been the primary target for the second bomb. American bombers initially had targeted the city of Kokura, where Japan had one of its largest munitions plants, but smoke from firebombing raids obscured the sky over Kokura. American planes then turned toward their secondary target, Nagasaki.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eCiting the devastating power of “a new and most cruel bomb,” Japanese Emperor \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/hirohito\"\u003eHirohito\u003c/a\u003e announced his country’s surrender on August 15—a day that became known as ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day\"\u003eV-J Day\u003c/a\u003e’—ending World War II.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-story-grid\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid post-grid is-style-3-col \"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"Museums Still Can’t Agree on How to Talk About the 1945 Atomic Bombing of Japan\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2018/04/ap_18092700808490.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eMuseums Still Can’t Agree on How to Talk About the 1945 Atomic Bombing of Japan\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"When Oppenheimer, \u0026#039;Father of the Atomic Bomb,\u0026#039; Was Blacklisted\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/08/gettyimages-90739961-2.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eWhen Oppenheimer, \u0026#039;Father of the Atomic Bomb,\u0026#039; Was Blacklisted\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"Photos: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Before and After the Bombs\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2020/07/hiroshima-nagasaki-before-after-gettyimages-53368867.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003ePhotos: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Before and After the Bombs\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-cold-war\"\u003eThe Cold War \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped is-style-slideshow wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"\u003e\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3556\" height=\"2808\" data-id=\"7174\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7174\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3556px) 100vw, 3556px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eOn August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear device, signaling a new and terrifying phase in the Cold War. By the early 1950s, school children began practicing \u0026#8220;Duck and Cover\u0026#8221; air-raid drills in schools, as in this 1955 photo.\u0026nbsp;Read more: How \u0026#8216;Duck-and-Cover\u0026#8217; Drills Channeled America\u0026#8217;s Cold War Anxiety\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2785\" height=\"3570\" data-id=\"7175\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7175\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2785px) 100vw, 2785px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eThe drills were part of President Harry S. Truman’s Federal Civil Defense Administration program and aimed to educate the public about what ordinary people could do to protect themselves.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3292\" height=\"2799\" data-id=\"7176\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"Bert the Turle\" class=\"wp-image-7176\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3292px) 100vw, 3292px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eIn 1951, the FCDA hired Archer Productions, a New York City ad agency, to create a film to educate schoolchildren about how to protect themselves in the case of atomic attack. The resulting film, Duck and Cover, was filmed at a school in Astoria, Queens, and alternated animation with images of students and adults practicing the recommended safety techniques.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2100\" height=\"2100\" data-id=\"7177\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7177\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=150 150w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eTwo sisters sit together in their home after an atomic war drill with their family. They\u0026#8217;re holding up identification tags they wear around their necks in the March 1954 photo.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1948\" height=\"2452\" data-id=\"7178\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7178\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=1948 1948w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1948px) 100vw, 1948px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA family during an atomic war drill.\u0026nbsp;The drills were easy to mock—how could ducking and covering really protect you from a nuclear bomb? However, some historians argue the drills could have offered some protection if a blast (of a smaller scale) occurred a distance away.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1998\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"7179\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7179\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=1998 1998w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1998px) 100vw, 1998px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eIn 1961, the Soviets exploded a 58-megaton bomb dubbed “Tsar Bomba,” which had a force equivalent to more than 50 million tons of TNT—more than all the explosives used in World War II. In response,\u0026nbsp;the focus of U.S. civil defense had moved on to the construction of fallout shelters. Here, a\u0026nbsp;mother and her children make a practice run for their $5,000 steel backyard fallout shelter in Sacramento, California, on Oct. 5, 1961\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3518\" height=\"2858\" data-id=\"7180\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7180\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3518px) 100vw, 3518px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eThis fiberglass-reinforced plastic portable shelter was unveiled on Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. on June 13, 1950. Designed for both military personnel and equipment, it was made up of 12 separated sections, each interchangeable with any other. According to its manufacturer, the shelter could be erected or dismantled by three men in 30 to 45 minutes and could comfortably accommodate 12 men barracks-style, or 20 in field conditions.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2929\" data-id=\"7181\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7181\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eIn this Sept. 12, 1958 file picture, Beverly Wysocki, top, and Marie Graskamp, right, Two women emerge from a family-type bomb shelter on display in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 12, 1958.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3032\" height=\"2048\" data-id=\"7182\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7182\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3032px) 100vw, 3032px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eThis is an interior view of 4,500-lb. steel underground radiation fallout shelter where a couple with three children relax amidst bunk beds and shelves of provisions. Their backyard shelter also included a radio and crates of canned food and water. During the Cold War arms race,\u0026nbsp;Americans were bombarded with contradictory images and messages that frightened even as they tried to reassure.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States was the only country with nuclear weaponry in the years immediately following World War II. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/russia/history-of-the-soviet-union\"\u003eSoviet Union\u003c/a\u003e initially lacked the knowledge and raw materials to build nuclear warheads.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWithin just a few years, however, the U.S.S.R. had obtained—through a network of spies engaging in international espionage—blueprints of a fission-style bomb and discovered regional sources of uranium in Eastern Europe. On August 29, 1949, the Soviets tested their first nuclear bomb.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States responded by launching a program in 1950 to develop more advanced thermonuclear weapons. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war\"\u003eCold War\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/arms-race\"\u003earms race\u003c/a\u003e had begun, and nuclear testing and research became high-profile goals for several countries, especially the United States and the Soviet Union.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cuban-missile-crisis\"\u003eCuban Missile Crisis \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the next few decades, each world superpower would stockpile tens of thousands of nuclear warheads. Other countries, including Great Britain, France, and China, developed nuclear weapons during this time, too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eTo many observers, the world appeared on the brink of nuclear war in October of 1962. The Soviet Union had installed nuclear-armed missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. This resulted in a 13-day military and political standoff known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis\"\u003eCuban Missile Crisis\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003ePresident \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy\"\u003eJohn F. Kennedy\u003c/a\u003e enacted a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear the United States was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize the perceived threat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eDisaster was avoided when the United States agreed to an offer made by Soviet leader \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/nikita-sergeyevich-khrushchev\"\u003eNikita Khrushchev\u003c/a\u003e to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the United States promising not to invade Cuba.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"three-mile-island\"\u003eThree Mile Island \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eMany Americans became concerned about the health and environmental effects of nuclear fallout—the radiation left in the environment after a nuclear blast—in the wake of World War II and after extensive nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific during the 1940s and 1950s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe antinuclear movement emerged as a social movement in 1961 at the height of the Cold War. During Women Strike for Peace demonstrations on November 1, 1961 co-organized by activist \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/bella-abzug\"\u003eBella Abzug\u003c/a\u003e, roughly 50,000 women marched in 60 cities in the United States to demonstrate against nuclear weapons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe antinuclear movement captured national attention again in the 1970s and 1980s with high profile protests against nuclear reactors after the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/three-mile-island\"\u003eThree Mile Island\u003c/a\u003e accident—a nuclear meltdown at a \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/pennsylvania\"\u003ePennsylvania\u003c/a\u003e power plant in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1982, a million people marched in \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-york-city\"\u003eNew York City\u003c/a\u003e protesting nuclear weapons and urging an end to the Cold War nuclear arms race. It was one of the largest political protests in United States history.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-npt\"\u003eNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) \u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States and Soviet Union took the lead in negotiating an international agreement to halt the further spread of nuclear weapons in 1968.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/\"\u003eTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons\u003c/a\u003e (also called the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT) went into effect in 1970. It separated the world’s countries into two groups—nuclear weapons states and non-nuclear weapons states.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eNuclear weapons states included the five countries that were known to possess nuclear weapons at the time—the United States, the U.S.S.R., Great Britain, France and China.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the treaty, nuclear weapons states agreed not to use nuclear weapons or help non-nuclear states acquire nuclear weapons. They also agreed to gradually reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons with the eventual goal of total disarmament. Non-nuclear weapons states agreed not to acquire or develop nuclear weapons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, there were still thousands of nuclear weapons scattered across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Many of the weapons were located in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. These weapons were deactivated and returned to Russia.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"illegal-nuclear-weapon-states\"\u003eIllegal Nuclear Weapon States\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome countries wanted the option of developing their own nuclear weapons arsenal and never signed the NPT. India was the first country outside of the NPT to test a nuclear weapon in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eOther non-signatories to the NTP include: Pakistan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/history-of-israel\"\u003eIsrael\u003c/a\u003e and South Sudan. Pakistan has a known nuclear weapons program. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though has never officially confirmed or denied the existence of a nuclear weapons program. South Sudan is not known or believed to possess nuclear weapons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"north-korea\"\u003eNorth Korea\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-north-korea\"\u003eNorth Korea\u003c/a\u003e initially signed the NPT treaty, but announced its withdrawal from the agreement in 2003. Since 2006, North Korea has openly tested nuclear weapons, drawing sanctions from various nations and international bodies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eNorth Korea tested two long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2017—one reportedly capable of reaching the United States mainland. In September 2017, North Korea claimed it had tested a hydrogen bomb that could fit on top an intercontinental ballistic missile.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIran, while a signatory of the NPT, has said it has the capability to initiate production of nuclear weapons at short notice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sources\"\u003eSources\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003ePioneering Nuclear Science: The Discovery of Nuclear Fission. \u003ca href=\"https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/pioneering-nuclear-science-discovery-nuclear-fission\"\u003eInternational Atomic Energy Agency\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e The Development and Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. \u003ca href=\"https://educationalgames.nobelprize.org/educational/peace/nuclear_weapons/readmore.html\"\u003eNobelPrize.org\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e Here are the facts about North Korea’s nuclear test. \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/03/548262043/here-are-the-facts-about-north-koreas-nuclear-test\"\u003eNPR\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n","protected":false,"blocks":[{"clientId":"7c683da3-777a-4bac-a44b-7a629eb41cd2","name":"history/table-of-contents","attributes":{"headings":[{"label":"Nuclear Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#nuclear-bombs-and-hydrogen-bombs"},{"label":"Manhattan Project","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#manhattan-project"},{"label":"Who Invented the Atomic Bomb?","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#who-invented-the-atomic-bomb"},{"label":"Hiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#hiroshima-and-nagasaki-bombings"},{"label":"The Cold War ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#the-cold-war"},{"label":"Cuban Missile Crisis ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#cuban-missile-crisis"},{"label":"Three Mile Island ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#three-mile-island"},{"label":"Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-npt"},{"label":"Illegal Nuclear Weapon States","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#illegal-nuclear-weapon-states"},{"label":"North Korea","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#north-korea"},{"label":"Sources","anchor":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#sources"}]},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"4e4c5fe4-1106-40a0-a373-abb549b75be5","name":"history/intro","attributes":[],"innerBlocks":[{"clientId":"a6612cc7-549e-411b-8244-11c43c5802d5","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs are powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy. Scientists first developed nuclear weapons technology during World War II. Atomic bombs have been used only twice in war—both times by the United States against Japan at the end of World War II, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A period of nuclear proliferation followed that war, and during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union vied for supremacy in a global nuclear arms race.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://watch.historyvault.com/specials/hiroshima-75-years-later\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]}]},{"clientId":"ab33e482-25b6-4821-92b8-f362d07e1594","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Nuclear Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs","level":2,"id":"nuclear-bombs-and-hydrogen-bombs"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6820c62f-fb66-46ed-a6ff-22f4d36eae49","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"A discovery by nuclear physicists in a laboratory in Berlin, Germany, in 1938 made the first atomic bomb possible, after Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassman discovered nuclear fission.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"84cf2eed-c101-4333-8dfa-490c197c5d79","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom of radioactive material splits into two or more smaller nuclei, which causes a sudden, powerful release of energy. The discovery of nuclear fission opened up the possibility of nuclear technologies, including weapons.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6f053f68-d536-409a-ab5e-f3b5f1ceb0ab","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Atomic bombs get their energy from fission reactions. Thermonuclear weapons, or hydrogen bombs, rely on a combination of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is another type of reaction in which two lighter atoms combine to release energy.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6d3b81a0-0d15-420e-b1de-06e9137598f5","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1890392131857","duration":62,"contentRating":"TV-PG","title":"History Shorts: How the Atomic Bomb Was Used in WWII","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"The United States' decision to use the atomic bomb was made after great debate, but still led to a massive loss of human life.","pplId":["248341"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/NUKK7x_G_Jnr","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/579/435/BRAND_THC_HOSF_248341_SFB_000_2398_5_20200724_01_0415484_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"1be865f0-5ffb-449c-9098-777dad46bd8d","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Manhattan Project","level":2,"id":"manhattan-project"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"67e2844d-c97f-4d59-9eab-79dc82d87542","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"On December 28, 1942, President \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/franklin-d-roosevelt\"\u003eFranklin D. Roosevelt\u003c/a\u003e authorized the formation of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/the-manhattan-project\"\u003eManhattan Project\u003c/a\u003e to bring together various scientists and military officials working on nuclear research.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c757714a-b590-46ac-9378-2580fadcaedd","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The Manhattan Project was the code name for the American-led effort to develop a functional atomic bomb during \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/a\u003e. The project was started in response to fears that German scientists had been working on a weapon using nuclear technology since the 1930s.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"3f7630c8-b564-45bb-ac01-0c03eb679473","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Who Invented the Atomic Bomb?","level":2,"id":"who-invented-the-atomic-bomb"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"7be65701-1363-44c4-9b03-1c9a43df8b24","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Much of the work in the Manhattan Project was performed in Los Alamos, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-mexico\"\u003eNew Mexico\u003c/a\u003e, under the direction of theoretical physicist \u003ca href=\"https://www.biography.com/people/j-robert-oppenheimer-9429168\"\u003eJ. Robert Oppenheimer\u003c/a\u003e, the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/father-of-the-atomic-bomb-was-blacklisted-for-opposing-h-bomb\"\u003efather of the atomic bomb\u003c/a\u003e.” ","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"30e3f5ff-defd-4665-ad98-a4cd6c8457ee","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"On July 16, 1945, in a remote desert location near Alamogordo, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-mexico\"\u003eNew Mexico\u003c/a\u003e, the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated—the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/trinity-test\"\u003eTrinity Test\u003c/a\u003e. It created an enormous mushroom cloud some 40,000 feet high and ushered in the Atomic Age.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"47b393e5-64f3-4b9e-9474-68bfccaad434","name":"corpnews-blocks/story-grid","attributes":{"posts":"[{\"id\":2773,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/topics\\/inventions\\/atomic-test-explosions-video\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"Watch Historic Footage of Atomic Test Explosions\"},\"type\":\"topic\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"This footage of two nuclear-test explosions in Hawaii reveal a destructive power so massive it\u0026#8217;s still hard to fathom. | Courtesy of the Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"Videos\"},{\"id\":6036,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/topics\\/asian-history\\/hirohito-video\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"How Did Emperor Hirohito Respond to the Atomic Bomb Attacks?\"},\"type\":\"topic\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"After the devastating bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the leadership of Japanese Emperor Hirohito was put to the test.\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"Videos\"}]","className":"is-style-2-col","preview":false,"postType":["any"],"cardsHeading":""},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"115f27b3-0938-4f18-a75e-039ed969c9ad","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Hiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings ","level":2,"id":"hiroshima-and-nagasaki-bombings"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a922aee5-bd04-49ea-b7b2-b67bfd360ec4","name":"core/gallery","attributes":{"columns":2,"linkTo":"none","className":"is-style-slideshow","images":[],"ids":[],"shortCodeTransforms":[],"imageCrop":true,"randomOrder":false,"fixedHeight":true,"sizeSlug":"large","allowResize":false},"innerBlocks":[{"clientId":"24f88ae3-fd8a-4df9-8040-01d7564fdd57","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7407,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"MPI/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/little-boy.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"An atomic bomb, codenamed \"Little Boy,\" was dropped over Hiroshima Japan on August 6, 1945. The bomb, which detonated\u0026nbsp;with an energy of around 15 kilotons of TNT, was the first nuclear weapon deployed in wartime. \u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":653},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f8b94791-617f-4f77-ab30-9f7a94f01eaa","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7408,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Bettmann/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/crew-of-the-enola-gay.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"The men who made the historic flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Top: Flight crew of Enola Gay, attackers of Hiroshima. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander. (Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)","caption":"The crew of the Boeing B-29 bomber, Enola Gay, which made the flight over Hiroshima to drop the first atomic bomb. Left to right kneeling; Staff Sergeant George R. Caron; Sergeant Joe Stiborik; Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury; Private first class Richard H. Nelson; Sergeant Robert H. Shurard. Left to right standing; Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Group Bombardier; Major Theodore Van Kirk, Navigator; Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, 509th Group Commander and Pilot; Captain Robert A. Lewis, Airplane Commander.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":775},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"61f05845-ffcd-459e-aaf3-42a17dc22173","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7409,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"PhotoQuest/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/loading-the-bomb.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"A view of the atomic bomb as it is hoisted into the bay of the Enola Gay on the North Field of Tinian airbase, North Marianas Islands, early August, 1945.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"fb7d7c38-20fd-492f-84ce-18864e32af26","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7410,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/hiroshima-bombing-gettyimages-568884199.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Hiroshima in ruins after the dropping of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. The circle indicates the target of the bomb. The bomb directly killed an estimated 80,000 people. By the end of the year, injury and radiation brought the total number of deaths to between 90,000 and 166,000.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":1534},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"e08ca0a5-eedb-4eec-87a5-6161b16cca2f","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7411,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"PhotoQuest/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/the-fat-man.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"The\u0026nbsp;plutonium bomb, nicknamed \"Fat Man,\" is shown in transport. It would be the second nuclear bomb dropped by U.S. forces in World War II.","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f7128410-cbbf-4fd3-b43a-ffea15915965","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7412,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Popperfoto/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/utter-destruction-in-hiroshima.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"7th September 1945: View of one of the only structures left standing, one day after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The building, also known as the Genbaku Dome, is now the centerpiece of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.","caption":"An Allied correspondent stands in rubble on September 7, 1945, looking to the ruins of a cinema after the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima.","width":1024,"height":753},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"83f53fbc-d853-48af-b7b7-33d18a32c609","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7413,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Keystone/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/smell-of-death.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Children in Hiroshima, Japan are shown wearing masks to combat the odor of death after the city was destroyed two months earlier.","width":1024,"height":1097},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"231c7029-fc02-47a6-b123-d48c6d89b647","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7414,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Carl Mydans/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/disfigured.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Survivors hospitalized in Hiroshima show their bodies covered with keloids caused by the atomic bomb.","width":1024,"height":1303},"innerBlocks":[]}]},{"clientId":"321c7307-ca3f-427d-831e-9f1695de73e5","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Scientists at Los Alamos had developed two distinct types of atomic bombs by 1945—a uranium-based design called “the Little Boy” and a plutonium-based weapon called “the Fat Man.” (Uranium and plutonium are both radioactive elements.)","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"9ebf643d-21db-424c-ad5c-a12385be2cb0","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"While the war in Europe had ended in April, fighting in the Pacific continued between Japanese forces and U.S. troops. In late July, President \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/harry-truman\"\u003eHarry Truman\u003c/a\u003e called for Japan’s surrender with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japan-accepts-potsdam-terms-agrees-to-unconditional-surrender\"\u003ePotsdam Declaration\u003c/a\u003e. The declaration promised “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan did not surrender.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"9584bfcd-cc42-4549-9de4-83289fbb7cb8","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped its first atomic bomb from a B-29 bomber plane called the Enola Gay over the city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-bomber-drops-atomic-bomb-on-hiroshima\"\u003eHiroshima\u003c/a\u003e, Japan. The “Little Boy” exploded with about 13 kilotons of force, leveling five square miles of the city and killing 80,000 people instantly. Tens of thousands more would later die from radiation exposure.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c708b348-a487-4df2-889d-166206e30a2e","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"When the Japanese did not immediately surrender, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb three days later on the city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-nagasaki\"\u003eNagasaki\u003c/a\u003e. The “Fat Man” killed an estimated 40,000 people on impact.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c99fbb05-d7ee-43a2-8c55-2cf92e1275f7","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Nagasaki had not been the primary target for the second bomb. American bombers initially had targeted the city of Kokura, where Japan had one of its largest munitions plants, but smoke from firebombing raids obscured the sky over Kokura. American planes then turned toward their secondary target, Nagasaki.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8a1e0642-5be4-4932-b957-4452db0ab72c","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Citing the devastating power of “a new and most cruel bomb,” Japanese Emperor \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/hirohito\"\u003eHirohito\u003c/a\u003e announced his country’s surrender on August 15—a day that became known as ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day\"\u003eV-J Day\u003c/a\u003e’—ending World War II.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"92af6e61-a7e5-4dc6-a8d5-baad139b9353","name":"corpnews-blocks/story-grid","attributes":{"posts":"[{\"id\":24915,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/atomic-bomb-hiroshima-nagasaki-museum-controversy-los-alamos\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"Museums Still Can\\u2019t Agree on How to Talk About the 1945 Atomic Bombing of Japan\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"The Los Alamos Historical Museum halted a Japanese exhibition on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki because of a controversy over its message of abolishing nuclear weapons. \"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"},{\"id\":31672,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/father-of-the-atomic-bomb-was-blacklisted-for-opposing-h-bomb\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"\\u201cFather of the Atomic Bomb\\u201d Was Blacklisted for Opposing H-Bomb\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"After leading development of the first atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer called for controls on nuclear weapons. It cost him his job.\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"},{\"id\":32139,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/hiroshima-nagasaki-atomic-bomb-photos-before-after\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"Photos: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Before and After the Bombs\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"Before the 1945 atomic blasts, they were thriving cities. In a flash, they became desolate wastelands.\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"}]","className":"is-style-3-col","preview":false,"postType":["any"],"cardsHeading":""},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"ef9b7944-42c3-4a14-898a-add432e289b3","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"The Cold War ","level":2,"id":"the-cold-war"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"89fdcc2b-4799-402f-8c1d-514336a9826d","name":"core/gallery","attributes":{"columns":2,"linkTo":"none","className":"is-style-slideshow","images":[],"ids":[],"shortCodeTransforms":[],"imageCrop":true,"randomOrder":false,"fixedHeight":true,"sizeSlug":"large","allowResize":false},"innerBlocks":[{"clientId":"0ba782a0-1584-44db-8722-a1acdd58bd8e","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7174,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"American Stock/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-3233390.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear device, signaling a new and terrifying phase in the Cold War. By the early 1950s, school children began practicing \"Duck and Cover\" air-raid drills in schools, as in this 1955 photo.\u0026nbsp;Read more: How 'Duck-and-Cover' Drills Channeled America's Cold War Anxiety","width":1024,"height":809},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"d2ca167e-2961-43a1-9a32-789de482ff38","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7175,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Bettmann Archive/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-514867350.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"The drills were part of President Harry S. Truman’s Federal Civil Defense Administration program and aimed to educate the public about what ordinary people could do to protect themselves.","width":1024,"height":1313},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"ee3b47f1-59b0-4633-afa5-070aef84385b","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7176,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Corbis/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/duck-and-cover-gettyimages-615299382.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"Bert the Turle","caption":"In 1951, the FCDA hired Archer Productions, a New York City ad agency, to create a film to educate schoolchildren about how to protect themselves in the case of atomic attack. The resulting film, Duck and Cover, was filmed at a school in Astoria, Queens, and alternated animation with images of students and adults practicing the recommended safety techniques.","width":1024,"height":871},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"d6dd2663-ada1-48ea-bdd7-bb1e75376707","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7177,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"John Dominis/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-841673920.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Two sisters sit together in their home after an atomic war drill with their family. They're holding up identification tags they wear around their necks in the March 1954 photo.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":1024},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"fc3bb4c9-4a96-4736-81b7-f425baeef270","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7178,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"John Dominis/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50394014.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"A family during an atomic war drill.\u0026nbsp;The drills were easy to mock—how could ducking and covering really protect you from a nuclear bomb? However, some historians argue the drills could have offered some protection if a blast (of a smaller scale) occurred a distance away.","width":1024,"height":1289},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"70463708-c3ea-41ff-a55e-0ad3b1694163","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7179,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Sal Veder/AP Photo","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_611005027.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"In 1961, the Soviets exploded a 58-megaton bomb dubbed “Tsar Bomba,” which had a force equivalent to more than 50 million tons of TNT—more than all the explosives used in World War II. In response,\u0026nbsp;the focus of U.S. civil defense had moved on to the construction of fallout shelters. Here, a\u0026nbsp;mother and her children make a practice run for their $5,000 steel backyard fallout shelter in Sacramento, California, on Oct. 5, 1961","width":1024,"height":1538},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c795a4c3-11f4-40f2-aa10-6d38dd17f505","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7180,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Bettmann Archive/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-515582564.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"This fiberglass-reinforced plastic portable shelter was unveiled on Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. on June 13, 1950. Designed for both military personnel and equipment, it was made up of 12 separated sections, each interchangeable with any other. According to its manufacturer, the shelter could be erected or dismantled by three men in 30 to 45 minutes and could comfortably accommodate 12 men barracks-style, or 20 in field conditions.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":832},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f9d58d70-d65e-468f-b212-98696bd22092","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7181,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"AP Photo","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-ap_5809121196.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"In this Sept. 12, 1958 file picture, Beverly Wysocki, top, and Marie Graskamp, right, Two women emerge from a family-type bomb shelter on display in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 12, 1958.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":1000},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"5f0c8682-6a03-4214-a3ee-640ef96bca94","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":7182,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Walter Sanders/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2009/10/cold-war-drills-gettyimages-50605483.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"This is an interior view of 4,500-lb. steel underground radiation fallout shelter where a couple with three children relax amidst bunk beds and shelves of provisions. Their backyard shelter also included a radio and crates of canned food and water. During the Cold War arms race,\u0026nbsp;Americans were bombarded with contradictory images and messages that frightened even as they tried to reassure.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":692},"innerBlocks":[]}]},{"clientId":"f59d369c-4058-43fd-aa72-e173a54005e9","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The United States was the only country with nuclear weaponry in the years immediately following World War II. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/russia/history-of-the-soviet-union\"\u003eSoviet Union\u003c/a\u003e initially lacked the knowledge and raw materials to build nuclear warheads.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"be67b799-db53-4a2e-b120-e4f827878b7f","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Within just a few years, however, the U.S.S.R. had obtained—through a network of spies engaging in international espionage—blueprints of a fission-style bomb and discovered regional sources of uranium in Eastern Europe. On August 29, 1949, the Soviets tested their first nuclear bomb.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"e038da4a-4808-419b-bdc7-c6fa4c860ff2","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The United States responded by launching a program in 1950 to develop more advanced thermonuclear weapons. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war\"\u003eCold War\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/arms-race\"\u003earms race\u003c/a\u003e had begun, and nuclear testing and research became high-profile goals for several countries, especially the United States and the Soviet Union.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"23b058a8-f5c6-4c51-a93d-29410556581b","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Cuban Missile Crisis ","level":2,"id":"cuban-missile-crisis"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"78c89855-3911-4157-b7f9-2da3dcde4593","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Over the next few decades, each world superpower would stockpile tens of thousands of nuclear warheads. Other countries, including Great Britain, France, and China, developed nuclear weapons during this time, too.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a4831efd-ecd9-49f1-9015-47ec55e4c0e9","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"To many observers, the world appeared on the brink of nuclear war in October of 1962. The Soviet Union had installed nuclear-armed missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. This resulted in a 13-day military and political standoff known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis\"\u003eCuban Missile Crisis\u003c/a\u003e.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"4ca7e4b0-dce7-4b44-b268-ca5bebb324d7","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"President \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy\"\u003eJohn F. Kennedy\u003c/a\u003e enacted a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear the United States was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize the perceived threat.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"d0fd57e7-9f8d-42ca-b89d-9b76854ff19b","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Disaster was avoided when the United States agreed to an offer made by Soviet leader \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/nikita-sergeyevich-khrushchev\"\u003eNikita Khrushchev\u003c/a\u003e to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the United States promising not to invade Cuba.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"11ad36c6-9e15-40fc-aaea-81e9f41a0f47","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Three Mile Island ","level":2,"id":"three-mile-island"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a480ba74-0d83-4534-80fc-ccf20b9df054","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Many Americans became concerned about the health and environmental effects of nuclear fallout—the radiation left in the environment after a nuclear blast—in the wake of World War II and after extensive nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific during the 1940s and 1950s.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"8e1901be-24ca-4c18-b3c4-e2f7beb5bf40","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The antinuclear movement emerged as a social movement in 1961 at the height of the Cold War. During Women Strike for Peace demonstrations on November 1, 1961 co-organized by activist \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/bella-abzug\"\u003eBella Abzug\u003c/a\u003e, roughly 50,000 women marched in 60 cities in the United States to demonstrate against nuclear weapons.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"249cb994-42f1-4807-8847-273afa6a4ae5","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The antinuclear movement captured national attention again in the 1970s and 1980s with high profile protests against nuclear reactors after the \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/three-mile-island\"\u003eThree Mile Island\u003c/a\u003e accident—a nuclear meltdown at a \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/pennsylvania\"\u003ePennsylvania\u003c/a\u003e power plant in 1979.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"7eec6faa-ec77-41c1-954f-2a51061340d2","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"In 1982, a million people marched in \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-york-city\"\u003eNew York City\u003c/a\u003e protesting nuclear weapons and urging an end to the Cold War nuclear arms race. It was one of the largest political protests in United States history.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"47832cda-4a5d-45de-b17d-d41c4cf80b45","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ","level":2,"id":"nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-npt"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"e2758703-524a-4e3f-b449-5241cbfb93da","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The United States and Soviet Union took the lead in negotiating an international agreement to halt the further spread of nuclear weapons in 1968.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"326c9b93-3b2e-4b76-8a59-34829f34ae8f","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The \u003ca href=\"https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/\"\u003eTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons\u003c/a\u003e (also called the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT) went into effect in 1970. It separated the world’s countries into two groups—nuclear weapons states and non-nuclear weapons states.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"e487ea8b-e95b-4ab5-aa09-dc037c79b47a","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Nuclear weapons states included the five countries that were known to possess nuclear weapons at the time—the United States, the U.S.S.R., Great Britain, France and China.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"954fa6ac-85b5-4997-8ede-910e7e5d5103","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"According to the treaty, nuclear weapons states agreed not to use nuclear weapons or help non-nuclear states acquire nuclear weapons. They also agreed to gradually reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons with the eventual goal of total disarmament. Non-nuclear weapons states agreed not to acquire or develop nuclear weapons.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6541dd34-d8f2-4bdc-836b-46523ebed551","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, there were still thousands of nuclear weapons scattered across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Many of the weapons were located in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. These weapons were deactivated and returned to Russia.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"2e2ee9c9-55cc-449a-8901-d887702cd98e","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1616747075707","duration":60,"contentRating":"TV-PG","title":"The Interstate System...and Atomic Bombs?","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"Nuclear bombs played a key role in the planning and building of the Interstate Highway System.","pplId":["230195"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/bh5w6ILRUytl","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/731/167/BRAND_THC_HOSF_230195_SFB_000_2398_5_20190927_01_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"12886bb6-54bd-4f37-963f-cf1d27555685","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Illegal Nuclear Weapon States","level":2,"id":"illegal-nuclear-weapon-states"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"57f4d59d-a5ef-41eb-a0ca-4434d36ab5e0","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Some countries wanted the option of developing their own nuclear weapons arsenal and never signed the NPT. India was the first country outside of the NPT to test a nuclear weapon in 1974.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"eaa2d622-11dc-48ee-ad1d-d0ffc4e9b816","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Other non-signatories to the NTP include: Pakistan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/history-of-israel\"\u003eIsrael\u003c/a\u003e and South Sudan. Pakistan has a known nuclear weapons program. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though has never officially confirmed or denied the existence of a nuclear weapons program. South Sudan is not known or believed to possess nuclear weapons.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"93f19240-a91d-4faa-8abd-ec60a00d1b3c","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"North Korea","level":2,"id":"north-korea"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"fc0b76d1-44f5-4636-810d-906ea85b067d","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-north-korea\"\u003eNorth Korea\u003c/a\u003e initially signed the NPT treaty, but announced its withdrawal from the agreement in 2003. Since 2006, North Korea has openly tested nuclear weapons, drawing sanctions from various nations and international bodies.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"fb824078-9046-4031-b833-e5873ded5c34","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"North Korea tested two long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2017—one reportedly capable of reaching the United States mainland. In September 2017, North Korea claimed it had tested a hydrogen bomb that could fit on top an intercontinental ballistic missile.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a9c73c2b-b6aa-4b2c-9896-69829d7e21da","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Iran, while a signatory of the NPT, has said it has the capability to initiate production of nuclear weapons at short notice.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a9a80f8b-70ed-4303-8827-bdb601d4cea3","name":"core/heading","attributes":{"content":"Sources","level":2,"id":"sources"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"e9d26dd5-9410-4210-a00a-7175bf774437","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Pioneering Nuclear Science: The Discovery of Nuclear Fission. \u003ca href=\"https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/pioneering-nuclear-science-discovery-nuclear-fission\"\u003eInternational Atomic Energy Agency\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e The Development and Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. \u003ca href=\"https://educationalgames.nobelprize.org/educational/peace/nuclear_weapons/readmore.html\"\u003eNobelPrize.org\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e Here are the facts about North Korea’s nuclear test. \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/03/548262043/here-are-the-facts-about-north-koreas-nuclear-test\"\u003eNPR\u003c/a\u003e.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nuclear Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs A discovery by nuclear physicists in a laboratory in Berlin, Germany, in 1938 made the first atomic bomb possible, after Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassman discovered nuclear fission. In nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom of radioactive material splits into two or more smaller nuclei, which causes […]","protected":false},"featured_media":10533,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"video_platform_id":"","video_duration":0,"video_content_rating":"","video_disable_autoplay":false,"subhead":"","exclude_from_rss":false,"distribute_scheduled_post":[],"curated_related_posts":"","disable_related_posts":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"article_type":[],"story_byline":[406],"attribute":[6],"story_category":[45],"class_list":["post-10532","topic","type-topic","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","story_byline-history","attribute-object","story_category-world-war-ii"],"prepublish_checks":{},"article_type_meta":"","tags_meta":"","disable_interrupter":"","primary_term":null,"video_thumbnail":false,"hide_on_google_news":false,"yoast_head_json":{"title":"Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima \u0026 Nagasaki - HISTORY","description":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs, powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy, are regulated by international agreements.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima \u0026 Nagasaki - HISTORY","og_description":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs, powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy, are regulated by international agreements.","og_url":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history","og_site_name":"HISTORY","article_modified_time":"2022-11-09T21:49:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":576,"url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","type":"image/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima \u0026 Nagasaki - HISTORY","twitter_description":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs, powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy, are regulated by international agreements.","twitter_image":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history","url":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history","name":"Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima \u0026 Nagasaki - HISTORY","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.history.com#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","datePublished":"2017-09-06T14:50:36+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-09T21:49:17+00:00","description":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs, powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy, are regulated by international agreements.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/#primaryimage","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","contentUrl":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","width":3984,"height":2241,"caption":"Thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll, March 1954. The unexpected spread of fallout from the test led to awareness of, and research into, radioactive pollution."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.history.com"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Topics","item":"https://www.history.com/topics"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Atomic Bomb History"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://www.history.com#website","url":"https://www.history.com","name":"HISTORY","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://www.history.com/search/{search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.history.com/#/schema/person/3f3500adc1687f08297576e259e9bf5d","name":"Missy Sullivan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://www.history.com/#/schema/person/image/","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/84eb2467eeaefa3029c187e4e513e9f9?s=96\u0026d=mm\u0026r=g","contentUrl":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/84eb2467eeaefa3029c187e4e513e9f9?s=96\u0026d=mm\u0026r=g","caption":"Missy Sullivan"},"url":"https://www.history.com/author/missysullivan"}]},"news_article_schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima \u0026 Nagasaki - HISTORY","description":"The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs, powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy, are regulated by international agreements.","url":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/","thumbnailUrl":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/09/gettyimages-463918343.jpg","datePublished":"2017-09-06 14:50:36","dateModified":"2022-11-09 21:49:17","articleSection":"World War II","creator":[],"keywords":[],"author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.history.com/#/schema/person/3f3500adc1687f08297576e259e9bf5d","name":"Missy Sullivan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://www.history.com/#/schema/person/image/","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/84eb2467eeaefa3029c187e4e513e9f9?s=96\u0026d=mm\u0026r=g","contentUrl":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/84eb2467eeaefa3029c187e4e513e9f9?s=96\u0026d=mm\u0026r=g","caption":"Missy Sullivan"},"url":"https://www.history.com/author/missysullivan"}},"video_schema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"History Shorts: How the Atomic Bomb Was Used in WWII","description":"The United States' decision to use the atomic bomb was made after great debate, but still led to a massive loss of human life.","thumbnailUrl":["https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/579/435/BRAND_THC_HOSF_248341_SFB_000_2398_5_20200724_01_0415484_HD.jpg"],"duration":62,"embedUrl":"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history/"}}}],"primaryTerm":{"id":45,"count":915,"description":"\u003cp\u003eWorld War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. 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