How many times have atomic bombs been dropped?

In ancient Greece, some sages believed that history is cyclical. That great events repeat themselves over and over again. FROM different main characters, names and places. It is not surprising that something similar happens with fashion, consumer habits, or some topics that are back on the cover media again and again. nuclear bomb or atomic bombs and feared nuclear explosions are one of those important issues that have always been on the political agenda.

Actually, the nuclear bomb has always existed, since its invention in 1945. Since many years ago, in 1938, began to look through the way to create this type of weapon, the race between the world powers began be the first to get the ultimate weapon. The one that will end all wars. But that would not be the case. When different countries received a nuclear bomb, tensions between them persisted. Obviously, no one would think to use it for the damage that will be done to the enemy, but also to yourself.

But nuclear weapons were used as restraining tool or to influence specific moments of tension or border conflicts. Luckily we have international transactions prevent the development and use of nuclear weapons. But these treaties say nothing about threaten to do something while combat conflicts with more traditional weapons take place. or from conduct military exercises test this weapon if needed in the future. The question is how many times a person used nuclear bombs?

first nuclear bomb

Technically, the first nuclear explosion took place July 16, 1945. The code name for this explosion was Trinity. And the name of the detonated weapon, atomic bomb or plutonium-based nuclear bomb, was simply “gadget”, which we could translate as an artifact, device or contraption. The explosion occurred near Alamogordo, New Mexico. And it was the most lucrative result of the top-secret Manhattan Project.

Started in 1942 Manhattan Project It was intended to develop nuclear bombs. Much has been written and said about this. The project was led by the United States, although the United Kingdom and Canada collaborated on it. And the Majors were directly responsible for the project. Leslie Groves United States Army Corps of Engineers and nuclear physicist Robert Oppenheimer. Biography directed by Christopher Nolan.

Without going too far, the project turned out over 130,000 people, among scientists, military, family members and other professional profiles. They even camehire German specialists How the Allies defeated Nazi Germany during The Second World War. And the estimated budget for such a military feat was more than 2000 million dollars USES. AT Wikipediathe current equivalent is expected to rise to 23 billion.

Nuclear explosions in Japan

USA He managed to become the first great power to possess an atomic bomb. Russia then USSR, it will take another four years to announce that he, too, has nuclear warheads. Yet the first nuclear explosions over residential areas will occur just a few weeks after the first test explosion. Trinity.

After the war in Europe and the fall of Nazi Germany, the United States turned its attention to its other enemy, Japan. This conflict began at the end of 1941 and has continued to this day, despite the surrender fascist italy and Nazi Germany. As a measure of pressure, and with little information about the consequences, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Japanese cities. Hiroshima D Nagasaki.

Interestingly, the one who made the decision was Harry S. Trumanthen President of the United States and who a few months ago was Vice President during the presidency Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s death forced Truman to lead the United States at war and, he said, without information about Manhattan Project. But as soon as he found out about this and after Japan refused to capitulate on the terms Potsdam Declarationsigned by the United States, Great Britain and China, Truman authorized the use of the atomic bomb against Japan.

Thus, history has remembered and will remember the shelling of civilians with two atomic bombs for more than seven decades. August 6, 1945 on the Hiroshima. The name of the bomb was a little boy and used uranium-235. Its lethality was 15 kilotons. And three days later August 9, 1945on the Nagasaki the bomb fell fat manusing plutonium-239 and having a destructive force of 21 kilotons.

According to the UN, “two atomic charges, the only ones used so far, remained over 200,000 dead due to radiation, and in subsequent decades added 400,000 more deaths for bomb-related health problems, according to the UN.” Namely, one of the reasons for the obsolete Society of Nations will become United Nations Precisely in order to avoid situations like the destruction caused by two nuclear explosions in August 1945.

In this case, there was nothing they could do. But since then they’ve offered Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (TPPE) and finally Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (SEPT). Nevertheless, nuclear arsenals continue to exist.

Cold War and the race for the nuclear bomb

As we saw in the previous article, since USA was made with the atomic bomb, other countries struggled to master this technology. Russiathen USSRbecause he saw the US as an enemy power. And in 1949 this was over. United Kingdom, in 1952 he joined the club. D France in 1960. Then they will come China (1964) India (1974) Pakistan (1998) and North Korea (2006). And along the way Israel he managed to unofficially develop his own nuclear weapons program.

in his days South Africa had nuclear weapons in their power (70s of the last century), and at present such countries as Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands D Turkey They have this technology, which is guarded by the US as a member of NATO. During the cold war Ukraine it had a significant nuclear arsenal as a member of the USSR. An arsenal that returned to Russia after it gained independence. And, on the other hand, the United States and Israel have always condemned the attempt Iran build your own atomic bomb. Something that has not yet materialized.

In short, only two nuclear bombs were dropped on the civilian population. But in order for the aforementioned countries to create their atomic bomb, it is believed that they dropped over 2000 tests nuclear explosions with atomic bombs and other nuclear devices or weapons. Approximately we know that they almost exploded 2,500 nuclear bombs or atomically charged devices. Top of the list USA with over 1000 tests. they follow USSR with over 700 and, in third place, Francewith over 200 tests. United Kingdom has more than 80 proven tests and China almost 50. There is less information for other countries.

And the most striking case is Israel. While other powers know it has nuclear weapons, it officially does not. And that if so, the United States will be forced to apply sanctions in accordance with treaties signed under the protection of United Nations.

Controversial nuclear test

The most recent nuclear weapons tests date back to 2017. They were held North Korea as pressure measures before USA. The enmity between the two countries comes from Korean War (1950-1953), which led to the division of Korea into two countries. First, a communist dictatorship it lasts until today and is run by three generations of the same family (Kim Il Sung until 1994, his son Kim Jong Il until 2011 and his son Kim Jong Un since). and second South Korea which has gone through an authoritarian stage with elections, but with the persecution of opponents, two coups (1961 and 1980) that led to dictatorships. And since 1987, the democratic period continues to this day.

Another country that has conducted the most nuclear tests in recent decades is France. Between 1966 and 1996, she carried out 167 nuclear explosions at the Pacific Experimental Center, located in Mururoaatoll in the archipelago tuamotuin French Polynesia. As a result of these tests, 41 of them with explosions in the air, caused great damage to the fauna of the area, as well as to dozens of Tahitian workers and employees. And although international Court The Hague condemned the first tests carried out in the 1960s, they continued to be carried out until 1996. Then France signed Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.