Throughout all of history, humans have been creating weapons for waging war against one and another or to protect something that is important to them. Over time, the weapons that humans use have gone from just a simple wooden club, to a forged sword, and to high power firearms. However, throughout history none of the weapons created led to a stalemate among any of the world’s super powers until the mid twentieth century with the development of the atomic bomb by the United States and the Soviet Union. The reason why the development of the atomic bomb led to a stalemate has to do with the idea of mutually assured destruction. The idea behind mutually assured destruction is that if one-country attacks with atomic weapons then the country being …show more content…
Two of the ocean based weapons tests were conducted during Operation Crossroads off the coast of Bikini Atoll. The first test during Operation Crossroads was the drop of Able which was drop from a height of around 1,500 feet and had a blast yield of 23 kilotons. [9] The Able test drop was used to see the effects of an atomic bomb on a naval fleet out at sea at sea level. The test consisted of over 150 naval vessels and out of them five vessels were sunk and the rest suffered server to minor damages. [9] The second test during Operation Crossroads was the shallow underwater detonation of Baker which was at a depth of 90 and had a blast yield of 23 kilotons. [9] The Baker test detonation was used to see the effects of atomic bomb on a naval fleet out at sea from underwater. The detonation of Baker resulted in the sinking of eight more vessels and "caused most of the target fleet to be bathed in radioactive water spray and radioactive debris from the lagoon bottom." [9] The last ocean based test was Operation Wigwam which was a deep underwater detonation at around the depth of 2,000 feet and had a …show more content…
There are several types of atomic bombs and the types changed based on how the bomb will achieve critical mass. The first type of an atomic bomb would be the gun-type fission bomb which was drop on the city of Hiroshima during World War II. Scientists and the military believed that the gun-type bomb was so reliable that they did not test it before dropping it on the city of Hiroshima. The gun-type bomb contained two-piece of uranium at both ends of a barrel, and when the two-piece of uranium are brought together it creates a chain reaction leading it to reach supercritical mass. [5] The second type of an atomic bomb would be the implosion fission bomb which was drop on the city of Nagasaki and tested during the project Trinity. The implosion type bomb contained a neutron core, a plutonium pit, a uranium tamper, and a layer of burning explosive. [5] Therefore, when the neutron core is crushed it releases neutrons into the plutonium pit which creates a chain reaction leading it to reach supercritical mass. [5] The third type of an atomic bomb would be the boosted fission bomb which was tested during Operation Greenhouse. The boosted fusion bomb utilized the same layer system from the implosion bomb, but in the fissile core a small amount of deuterium/tritium gas is added to cause the boost in blast yield. [5] The fourth type of an atomic bomb would be the staged radiation implosion bomb
When President Truman authorized the use of two nuclear weapons in 1945 against the Japanese in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II, the nature of international security was changed irreversibly. At that time, the United States had what was said to have a monopoly of atomic bombs. Soon thereafter, the Soviet Union began working on atomic weaponry. In 1949, it had already detonated it first atomic bomb and tensions began to heat up between the two countries. With the information that the Soviets had tested their first bomb, the United States began work on more powerful weapons1, and a fight for nuclear superiority had begun.
With the start of World War II the race for the first atomic bomb started. With Germany under Hitler’s reign, the Nazis began separating uranium to form the first atomic bomb to control the world. The push for the United States build the first atomic bomb began with this knowledge. With the help of several scientists the United States succeeded in building the atomic bomb first. Two atomic bombs were used; a uranium bomb on Hiroshima and a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki. Along with the many deaths were six stages of A-bomb illness which includes acute stages, atomic bomb trauma, A-bomb radiation illness, radiation blood injury at lethal dosage, blood injuries, and secondary radiation illness. Seven unhealed scars were also an effect of the atomic bombs that includes keloids, A-bomb cataracts, leukemia, cancers, chromosome changes, exposure in utero and microcephaly, and genetic surveys. Regulations and guidance were set in place soon after the bombings to protect the people of the world based on the information that was gathered and it has changed over the years based on the new information that was learned. With the use of the atomic bombs in World War II, a lot of pain and suffering was caused, but a great deal of information was learned to help protect future generations from radiation.
In the aftermath of World War II, tensions heightened between the two dominant powers: America and the USSR. The differences between the ideologies of the communist USSR and the capitalist United States led to a rapid deterioration in relations. The era between 1945, which marked the end of World War II, to 1991, when the Soviet Union dissolved, became known as the Cold War due to the fact that despite the lack of large scale conflict, both sides still feared a nuclear holocaust. Both the United States and the Soviet Union followed the military strategy of mutually assured destruction (MAD), meaning that neither side was willing to risk first attack lest the other nation retaliate massively . The fundamental tenet behind MAD that enabled it to serve as an effective deterrent was the idea of secondary strike capability. In essence, it was the ability of a nation to launch a counterattack and thereby ensure mutual destruction. Submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) fulfilled this criteria admirably due to their ability to stay submerged for extended periods of time, the difficulty involved with locating a submarine, and their invulnerability to nuclear missile attacks when submerged. As a result, the United States attempted to corner this leg of the nuclear triad.
The book Bomb: The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon is a thrilling, fast-paced story that refines a great deal of history into interesting and understandable literature for practically any age reader. The author, Steve Sheinkin, writes to tell the story of the first atomic bomb, the people who made it possible, and those who challenged its progress. Any person who is interested in science, history, or would like an enjoyable, quick read could read Bomb and easily understand the basics behind the creation of the atomic bomb. Along with the science and mathematics of the atomic bomb, Sheinkin adds the suspense and intrigue from the viewpoints of espionage agents from the Soviet Union, Germany, Great Britain, and the
"The First Atomic Bomb Mission Trinity B-29 Operations Three Weeks Before Hiroshima." Air Power History, vol. 60, no. 4, Winter 2013, p. 4. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=93332842&site=ehost-live.\
During the war, the United States started developing a weapon that would prove to be devastating to its enemies. The creation of the atomic bomb was made when a group of scientists discovered that splitting uranium atoms could cause massive destruction. President Harry Truman, who succeeded Roosevelt made the executive decision to use this atomic weapon against Japan in hopes of bringing the war to an end sooner. On August 6th, 1945, the atomic bomb was loaded on the Enola Gay. The plane left the Mariana Islands in search of Hiroshima about six hours away to drop the first atomic bomb. The bomb devastated the city, killing between 90,000 and 146,000 people. Three days later, a second
After six months of the United States attacking Japanese cities using bombs with the United Kingdom, and China, and the Japanese go as far as to use suicide bombers to change the events of the war, the United States called for japan to surrender. But the Japanese government was too honorable to surrender in time of war and ignored the Potsdam Declaration. Created by brilliant scientists, the bomb which was Original’s purpose was to be used against Nazi Germany was to be used to end the war. The bomb which could wipe a city off the surface of the map and cause long time damage was first atomic test was in New Mexico which Exploded with the force of 67 million sticks of dynamite. The flash from the explosion could be seen from over 10 miles away
Since 1941,when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor the forces of the United States and her allies had been at war with Japan.The bomb was dropped in Japan,on August,6,1945.The united states are the ones who dropped the bomb on the Japanese.
For many years now the firebombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has caused much discussion, the animosity of the time has drifted away and the people of the United States have begun to grasp the devastation theses bombs left on Japan. In the United States this heated debate is 70/30, 70% of the people understand why the Atomic bombs were dropped and 30% of people have realized that it was far too extreme. However in our panel presentation this was not the case; of our four presenters only one thought dropping the atomic bombs was appropriate, the other three were anti atomic bomb. However, our one presenter that was for atomic bomb admitting said that although he supports the dropping of the first atomic bomb, the second atomic bomb was unnecessary.
In order to detonate an atomic weapon, you need a critical mass of fissionable material. This means you need enough U-235 or Pu-239 to ensure that neutrons released by fission will strike another nucleus, thus producing a chain reaction. The more fissionable material you have, the greater the odds that such an event will occur. Critical mass is defined as the amount of material at which a neutron produced by a fission process will, on average, create another fission event.
An atomic or nuclear bomb is a bomb that causes destruction using the power from the rapid release of nuclear energy by fission of an atomic nuclei, causing damage through heat, blast, and radioactivity. Uranium and plutonium are the most popular ingredients in an atomic bomb. If an A-bomb is dropped, death is highly likely and radiation poisoning is almost certain if one is caught within a radius of 0-3 kilometers from a 1 megaton airburst. The 50% chance of death from the blast extends out to about 8 kilometers. The atomic bomb was only used twice to kill human beings: it was dropped on the Japanese people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. On August 6th, 1945 the United States dropped the first bomb on the city of Hiroshima. This bomb was known as “little boy”. The Second Bomb dropped on Nagasaki, was nicknamed “Fat Man”. When the “Fat Man” was dropped and exploded with a blast yield equivalent to 21 kilotons of TNT at an altitude of 1,650 feet. A total of about 199,000 people died in the bombings of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
World War II one of the biggest wars, occurring between the years of 1939 through 1947 in which World War II was the cause of over 60 million deaths. A war between the Axis powers Germany, Italy, and Japan v.s. the Allies, France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. Coming close towards the end of the war United States and Japan are at war. The United States have taken over the war and Germany has surrendered, only Japan was left to surrender to completely end the war. Japan refuses to surrender and the Unites States grows with desperation to end the war. Especially after the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941, which was a surprise attack from Japan to destroy aircraft carriers, but they failed. This attack angered
A atomic bomb is a weapon with great explosive power that results from the sudden release of energy upon the splitting, or fission, of the nuclei of a heavy element such as plutonium or uranium. The first atomic bomb was 3m long, 70 cm in diameter and weighted 4,080 kilograms, it was known as 'Little Boy." The second bomb, known as 'Fat Man' was 3.2m long, 1.5 meters in diameter and weighted 4,500 kilograms.
- The first atomic bomb ever used within a military related operation was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 at 8:16 am during the final stage of the Second World War. The city of Hiroshima and Nagasaki both got nuclear weapons dropped on them to end WW2.
On December 7, 1941 hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Hawaii. The Japanese filled the sky with bombs and bullets. The attack lasted 2 hours, the Japanese destroyed 20 American naval vessels, including battleships and also their airplanes. Many of their American soldiers and sailors died in the attack. The Japanese did this attack with no warning, thinking to themselves that they had made the US vulnerable. With the attack happening, this made Americans joined the war. They were very furious and wanted to get back at the Japanese for what they had done. The Americans eventually started to test and experiment with different types of atomic bombs. This was the help of Robert Oppenheimer