October 2022

B. 1st November 1952

The first hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear bomb or H-bomb, was tested on November 1, 1952, by the United States as part of a series of nuclear tests known as Operation Ivy. The test took place on Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean and was code-named “Mike.”

The hydrogen bomb is a more advanced and powerful weapon than the atomic bomb, which was used by the United States during World War II to destroy the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The hydrogen bomb works on the principle of nuclear fusion, in which hydrogen atoms are fused together to release a large amount of energy.

The “Mike” test was the first successful test of a hydrogen bomb, and it demonstrated that nuclear fusion was a viable means of producing a powerful weapon. The explosion created a fireball that was over 3 miles wide and produced a yield of 10.4 megatons of TNT, making it more than 700 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

The development and testing of the hydrogen bomb marked a major milestone in the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It also contributed to the growing fears of nuclear war and the devastating consequences it could bring.