I have collected images of seven significant nuclear bomb explosions and supplied some details associated with them. They are arranged in chronological order but by no means include all nuclear tests.
TRINITY—first test by USA
Figures as to the number of nuclear tests are approximate as some have been contested:
United States: 1,054 tests
Over 2000 tests!
It is my hope that through viewing these quite short but revealing pages you can link the horror of nuclear bombs to nuclear reactors. Can you conceive the results of Ivy Mike being dropped on a nuclear reactor that might be ten times the size of Chernobyl 4 and perhaps near to a large city? Remember the long lasting and devastating effect of contamination from the Chernobyl accident. Imagine the devastating immediate effect of Ivy Mike.
Remember only 3.5% of the nuclear contaminat escaped from Chernobyl 4 and that containment was able to be practiced, not soon but much sooner than it would have been possible after an Ivy Mike explosion.
The largest nuclear weapon ever tested was the "Tsar Bomba" of the Soviet Union at Novaya Zemlya on October 30, 1961, with an estimated yield of around 50 megatons. The Tsar Bomba was the largest nuclear weapon ever constructed or detonated. This three stage weapon was actually a 100 megaton bomb design, but the uranium fusion stage tamper of the tertiary stage was replaced by one made of lead. This reduced the yield by 50% by eliminating the fast fissioning of the uranium tamper by the fusion neutrons, and eliminated 97% of the fallout (1.5 megatons of fission, instead of 51.5), yet still proved the full yield design. The result was the "cleanest" weapon ever tested with 97% of the energy coming from fusion reactions. The effect of this bomb at full yield on global fallout would have been tremendous. It would have increased the world's total fission fallout since the invention of the atomic bomb by 25%.
One of the things that terrifies me is the nicknames that the USA attaches to its own and other nuclear bombs throughout the world. Little Boy, Fat Man, Joe 1, Ivy Mike—is it an attempt to hide from the horror of the whole enterprise—sounds like boy games, gang stuff—are they completely mad?
The whole enterprise is a denial of democratic nations. I quote from George Orwell in 'You and the Atomic Bomb': One can not help to wonder 'Who are the terrorists'? Let not Australia join the tribe that espouses tyranny.
HIROSHIMA—at war by USA
NAGASAKI—at war by USA
GRABLE—test by USA
BIKINI ATOLL—test by USA
FIRST LIGHTNING—first test by USSR
IVY MIKE—Test by USA
Soviet Union: 715 tests
France: 210 tests
United Kingdom: 45 tests
China: 45 tests
India: 5 or 6
Pakistan: between 3 and 6 tests
North Korea: 1 test
"It is a commonplace that the history of civilization is largely the history of weapons. In particular, the connection between the discovery of gunpowder and the overthrow of feudalism by the bourgeoisie has been pointed out over and over again. And though I have no doubt exceptions can be brought forward, I think the following rule would be found generally true: that ages in which the dominant weapon is expensive or difficult to make will tend to be ages of despotism, whereas when the dominant weapon is cheap and simple, the common people have a chance. Thus, for example, tanks, battleships and bombing planes are inherently tyrannical weapons, while rifles, muskets, long-bows and hand-grenades are inherently democratic weapons. A complex weapon makes the strong stronger, while a simple weapon—so long as there is no answer to it—gives claws to the weak."
YOU CAN STOP THE INTRODUCTION OF A NUCLEAR CULT.
