Questions tagged [nuclear-weapons]
Questions about the history of nuclear weapons.
77
questions
1
vote
2
answers
609
views
Why is the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima so much more infamous than that of Nagasaki? [closed]
I am not American, so this might just be something in my country, but growing up everyone knew about the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. However, when we began studying this in high school everyone was ...
- 119
1
vote
1
answer
851
views
Unknown Symbol on an Atomic Bomb [closed]
A 1997 czech movie Knoflíkáři depicts a "Fat Man" atomic bomb that should have been dropped on Kokura town, but the target has been changed to Nagasaki for a bad weather conditions (which is ...
- 119
12
votes
2
answers
903
views
RAF Vulcan nuclear missions - returning to base planning
Having seen several documentaries and interviews with Vulcan crew & pilots regarding their nuclear flight plans and proposed missions, there's a reticence to discuss the post-mission plan.
It's ...
- 121
51
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Why were there no nuclear detonations in 1959?
According to this visualization there were no nuclear detonations in 1959, and only 3 by France in 1960. Why were there no nuclear detonations by the USA or USSR in 1959 and 1960 but over 50 in each ...
- 511
8
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why was Hiroshima selected to be the city in Japan on which the first atom bomb was dropped? [closed]
What were the reasons that the U.S. government selected Hiroshima to be the city in Japan on which the first atomic bomb was dropped, other than the obvious reason that Hiroshima was a large, ...
- 6,267
5
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What were the reasons for Japan's surrender in WWII? [closed]
I have read this Quora answer with 400+ upvotes that claims that Japan surrendered not because they were nuked but because Russians were about to land on their soil and then never leave like they do.
...
- 1,077
-1
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is there any evidence that Mileva Marić (first wife of Albert Einstein) had the knowledge to build an atomic bomb herself?
Mileva Marić was the subject of the episode "Out of Time" of the TV show DC's Legends of Tomorrow. I'd like to know if her portrayal is historically accurate.
As a result of a rogue time traveler, a ...
- 3,007
8
votes
1
answer
714
views
Did US and Soviet nuclear war policies allow for a pause?
In the HBO made-for-tv movie "By Dawn's Early Light", the commander of the navy (codename "Harpoon") explains to the US President that USAF nuclear bombers are at their positive check points and await ...
- 183
6
votes
2
answers
953
views
Were US decision makers aware of the destructiveness of the Bomb of Nagasaki?
The bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were dropped on August 6th and 9th respectively. According to this answer, the second bomb was tested once.
Must I assume that US leaders were well aware of the ...
- 2,580
9
votes
1
answer
751
views
Is there a record of the times the nuclear brief case or its Russian counterpart have ever been actually opened?
So, it's a pretty simple question. When, and how many times has the nuclear brief-case or it's Russian counterpart ever been opened with the intent of use for a nuclear launch? Are there records of ...
- 511
3
votes
1
answer
252
views
How quickly did the term "nuclear fission" spread?
In The Nuclear Express by Thomas C. Reed and Danny B. Stillman, they explain that the term "nuclear fission" was first used in Physics by Lisa Meitner in a letter to Otto Hahn on December 19, 1938. ...
- 1,248
14
votes
2
answers
12k
views
Is it true that Hitler led to the invention of the atomic bomb by the Americans?
I am reading The Nuclear Express by Thomas C. Reed and Danny B. Stillman and on page 8, it describes the forced immigration of Jewish scientists involved in "Jewish Physics" to the United States and ...
- 1,248
6
votes
3
answers
686
views
What were China's thoughts on the possibility of a nuclear exchange, during the Cold War?
What were China's thoughts on the possibility of a nuclear exchange, during the Cold War?
We know, sorta, what the Soviets, and Americans thought, what about China?
- 1,359
9
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Was there a constant 'fear of the bomb' in the Soviet Union and America during the Cold War?
Was there a constant 'fear of the bomb' in the Soviet Union and America during the Cold War?
Or were there times where there wasn't such a fear? Possibly during the Nixon-Brezhnev détente, or ...
- 1,359
11
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why didn't the Allies wait for the nuclear bomb before invading Normandy?
Congruent to the argument that dropping the bomb on Japan saved US and axis lives.
