The 50s and 60s
 The
end of World War II brought a new struggle -- the Cold War. The
United States and the Soviet Union engaged in an arms race. A diverse
range of nuclear weapons were designed for transport in high-speed,
high-altitude aircraft. Smaller, lighter weapons placed less drag
on aircraft, which could then fly greater distances. Between 1951
and 1956, underwater capabilities and smaller nuclear shells were
developed too.
In 1957 and 1958, the United States designed nuclear weapons to
defend against aircraft attacks as well as developing anti-ship
or anti-submarine bombs. Yield increased to the megaton range. The
same weapon could be dropped from very high or very low altitudes.
Between 1958 and 1961, the U.S. nuclear arsenal also stockpiled
anti-ballistic missiles.
Fusion weapons were developed in the 1950s. In simple terms, a
fusion weapon uses an atomic bomb and hydrogen to trigger an explosion
of great size. A fusion weapon is often referred to as a hydrogen
bomb.
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Teller
Edward Teller pioneered work on fusion. More |
| Mk 17
The Mark 17 is the largest U.S. nuclear weapon ever built.
More |
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The Davy Crockett
The Davy Crockett was one of the smallest nuclear weapons
ever made. More |
| Broken Arrow
On January 17, 1966, a Strategic Air Command B52 had a mid-air
collision with a KC135 tanker while refueling over Palomares,
Spain. More |
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- Tokutaro Hagiwara
May 1941
Tokutaro Hagiwara, a Japanese physicist, first proposed the
idea of fusion.
- Enrico Fermi
September 1941
Fermi made a suggestion to Hungarian physicist Edward Teller that
that an atomic or fission bomb might produce enough energy to
heat a mass of hydrogen. That, in turn, would trigger a fusion
explosion.
- April 1946
Edward Teller
Teller returns to Los Alamos and led a secret conference on a
hydrogen super-bomb.
- August 1949
Soviet Union
In August 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear weapon,
"Joe One." Its development was years ahead of American
military-intelligence projections.
- President Truman
January 31, 1950
President Truman ended the hydrogen-bomb debate and approved development
and testing.
- Operation Ivy
November 1, 1952
America first tested a hydrogen bomb during Operation Ivy. On
Nov. 1, 1952, its "Mike" shot occurred at the Atomic
Energy Commission Eniwetok Proving Ground in the Marshall Islands
of the South Pacific. This escalated the Cold War. The hydrogen
bomb led to more nuclear weapons of varying size, design, and
yield.
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