Search results
May 5, 2024 · Learn about the device designed to release energy by nuclear fission or fusion, and its impact on World War II and the Cold War. Explore the facts, types, countries, blast radius, and effects of nuclear weapons.
- What is a nuclear weapon?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...
- Are there treaties to control the proliferation of nuclear weapons?Concerns about the devastating effects of nuclear weapons have driven governments to negotiate arms control agreements. Some of the earliest ones i...
- When was a nuclear weapon first tested?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...
- Which country had the most nuclear weapons?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 nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb types release large quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter.
- Few Countries Possess Nuclear Weapons, But Some Have Large Arsenals
- A LOF of Countries Have Given Up Obtaining Nuclear Weapons
- The Destructiveness of Nuclear Arsenals Has Declined
- Nuclear Weapons Tests Have Almost Stopped
- Nuclear Weapons Have Come Close to Being Used A Dozen Times Since World War II
- Many Countries Want to Limit Or Abolish Nuclear Weapons
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Nine countries currently have nuclear weapons: Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea. These nuclear powers differ a lot in how many nuclear warheads they have. The chart shows that while most have dozens or a few hundred warheads, Russia and the United States have thousands of them. T...
The number of countries that possess nuclear weapons has never been higher. Only one country — South Africa — entirely dismantled its arsenal. But, as the chart shows, many more states considered or pursued nuclear weapons, and almost all of them stopped. In the late 1970s, more than a dozen countries considered or worked to acquire them. Recently,...
A simple count of the number of warheads, as shown in the previous chart, does not consider that these weapons differ in their explosive power. It also does not consider that not all of them can be used at once. The data shown in the following chart attempts to take this into account. It considers the destructiveness and deployment of nuclear warhe...
The nuclear weapons states frequently tested their warheads in the past, but tests now have almost ended. The chart shows that they peaked in 1962 at 178 tests, mostly conducted by the United States and the Soviet Union. These tests harmedthe environment and people, especially indigenous communities. Tests decreased later during the Cold War and ha...
After killing between 110,000 and 210,000 people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, nuclear weapons have come close to being used more than a dozen times again.1 The chart below shows a timeline of such close calls.2We can see that some of them have been accidental, while others have been deliberate. You can learn more in our articleon the risks of...
Countries have sought to reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons through international cooperation. Most countries have approved the Partial and Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaties, which seek an end to nuclear weapons tests. The same goes for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. ...
Learn about the number, power, and risks of nuclear weapons in the world. See data and visualizations on the nine nuclear powers, the number and destructiveness of warheads, the tests and close calls, and the treaties and opposition.
Mar 22, 2022 · Learn how many nuclear weapons exist, who has them, how powerful they are and how quickly they can be deployed. Find out the history, types and threats of nuclear weapons in the world today.
Jul 15, 2020 · In the 75 years since the first successful test of a plutonium bomb, nuclear weapons have changed the face of warfare. Here, troops in the 11th Airborne division watch an atomic explosion at...
The effects of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are fundamentally different from conventional weapons because of the vast amounts of explosive energy they can release and the kinds of effects they produce, such as high temperatures and radiation. The prompt effects of a nuclear explosion and fallout are well known through data gathered from the ...
People also ask
What are the pros and cons of nuclear weapons?
What is the most powerful type of nuclear weapon?
What is the difference between a nuclear weapon and a thermonuclear weapon?
What is the simplest form of nuclear weapon?
History of nuclear weapons. A nuclear fireball lights up the night in the United States' nuclear test Upshot-Knothole Badger on April 18, 1953. Building on major scientific breakthroughs made during the 1930s, the United Kingdom began the world's first nuclear weapons research project, codenamed Tube Alloys, in 1941, during World War II.
