Trinity Test Site
The Trinity test site in New Mexico, USA, was where the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945, marking a pivotal moment in the development of nuclear weapons and the beginning of the atomic age.
Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb named “Little Boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, resulting in the instant death of an estimated 70,000 people and leading to long-term effects that ultimately claimed the lives of tens of thousands more.
Nagasaki
On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, resulting in the immediate deaths of approximately 40,000-75,000 people, extensive destruction, and long-term health effects due to radiation exposure.
Marshall Islands
Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted a total of 67 atomic tests in the Marshall Islands as part of its nuclear weapons development program, causing lasting environmental contamination and displacing the local population from their ancestral lands.
Nevada Test Site
The Nevada Test Site, now known as the Nevada National Security Site, was a prominent location for nuclear testing for over four decades, hosting 928 nuclear tests and playing a significant role in the development and understanding of nuclear weapons.
Semipalatinsk Test Site
The Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan conducted approximately 456 nuclear tests during its operation from 1949 to 1989, leading to devastating environmental and health impacts.
Montebello Islands
The Montebello Islands were the site of three atmospheric nuclear weapon tests by the British military: one in 1952, and two in 1956.
Daigo Fukuryū Maru
Daigo Fukuryū Maru or Lucky Dragon 5 was a Japanese tuna fishing boat with a crew of 23 men which was contaminated by nuclear fallout from the United States Castle Bravo thermonuclear weapon test at Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954.
British nuclear tests at Maralinga
The Maralinga atomic test site in South Australia was used by the British government between 1956 and 1963 for nuclear weapons testing, causing severe environmental contamination and detrimental health effects on the Indigenous people who were forcibly relocated from their ancestral lands.
Tsar Bomba, Novaya Zemlya Archipelago
Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated, was developed by the Soviet Union and tested on October 30, 1961, releasing an estimated yield of 50 megatons of TNT and causing unprecedented levels of destruction and radiation effects.
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1962, characterized by the threat of nuclear war, as both superpowers were locked in a high-stakes confrontation over the placement of Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Project 596 Lop Nur, China
Project 596 was the first nuclear fission weapons test conducted by the People’s Republic of China, detonated on 16 October 1964, at the Lop Nur test site. It was a uranium-235 implosion fission device made from weapons-grade uranium (U-235) enriched in a gaseous diffusion plant in Lanzhou.