Evolved out of WWII.

Americans first to create nuclear weapons technology.

Fat Man & Little Boy dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki and ended
the war in the Pacific.
The devices created destructive power than was unparalleled in all
history.
The weapons produced flash blindness, blast waves and
temperatures greater than 10,000C.
Even if people survived the initial blast, the lingering radioactivity
caused major illness & health issues.

 Americas nuclear weapons

program

Began in 1942 and proceeded

under Dr Robert Oppenheimer.

USSR spies were working within

the project as well.

From its conception, secrets and

information was being leaked from

the project to the Soviets.

Hanford B-Reactor site, 1944

 US: Fat Man & Little

Boy (August 1945)

USSR: First Lightning

[nicknamed Joe 1 by
the US] (August
1949)

 AKA thermonuclear bomb, hydrogen

bombs were more destructive than

atom bombs.

Unlike the atomic bomb, hydrogen

bombs use nuclear fusion in chain

reactions, creating more destruction
and greater impact.

1952 US test first Hydrogen bomb

1955 USSR air drop a hydrogen

bomb with a yield of 1.6 megatons

 Both the USSR and USA saw missiles as

the future in weaponry as they were

faster and easier than having to airdrop
bombs.

21 August 1957 USSR successfully

deploy ICBM

28 November 1958 USA successfully

test an Atlas ICBM

9 February 1959 USSR create strategic

missile unit

1 September 1959 ICBMs included in

USA service