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Learn about different types of weapons, from artillery and explosives to missiles and nuclear weapons, with definitions and examples. Explore the history and development of strategic and tactical missiles, and their roles in military conflicts.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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t. e. A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder ), law enforcement, self-defense, warfare, or suicide.
Learn about the history and types of weapons, from shock weapons to missile weapons, conventional to nonconventional, and defensive to offensive. Explore the examples of weapons of war, such as the Thompson submachine gun, the M3 Lee tank, and the atomic bomb.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
May 5, 2024 · Nuclear weapon, device designed to release energy in an explosive manner as a result of nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or a combination of the two. Fission weapons are commonly referred to as atomic bombs, and fusion weapons are referred to as thermonuclear bombs or, more commonly, hydrogen bombs.
- A nuclear weapon is a device designed to release energy in an explosive manner as a result of nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or a combination of...
- Concerns about the devastating effects of nuclear weapons have driven governments to negotiate arms control agreements. Some of the earliest ones i...
- The first test of a nuclear weapon occurred in the United States on July 16, 1945, at the Alamogordo Bombing Range in south-central New Mexico. The...
- The Soviet Union had the most nuclear weapons during the Cold War. The Soviet stockpile reached a peak of about 33,000 operational warheads in 1988...
A firearm is a barreled ranged weapon that inflicts damage on targets by launching one or more projectiles driven by rapidly expanding high-pressure gas produced by exothermic combustion ( deflagration) of a chemical propellant, historically black powder, now smokeless powder. [1] [2] [3]
Jul 25, 2014 · Learn about the most common and innovative weapons of the First World War, from rifles and machine guns to poison gas and tanks. Explore the history, design and impact of these deadly devices that shaped the war and the world.
People have used weapons in warfare, hunting, self-defense, law enforcement, and criminal activity. Weapons also serve many other purposes in society including use in sports, collections for display, and historical displays and demonstrations. As technology has developed throughout history, weapons have changed with it.
