Nuclear weapon - Wikipedia
A nuclear weapon [a] 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.
Nuclear weapons of the United States - Wikipedia
The United States is one of the five nuclear weapons states with a declared nuclear arsenal under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), of which it was an original drafter and signatory on 1 July 1968 (ratified 5 March 1970).
Atomic Bomb: Nuclear Bomb, Hiroshima & Nagasaki ‑ HISTORY
Sep 6, 2017 · The atomic bomb and nuclear bombs are powerful weapons that use nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy. Scientists first developed nuclear weapons technology during...
History of nuclear weapons - Wikipedia
Britain and France built their own systems in the 1950s, and the number of states with nuclear capabilities has gradually grown larger in the decades since. A nuclear weapon, also known as an atomic bomb, possesses enormous destructive power from nuclear fission, or a combination of fission and fusion reactions.
Nuclear weapon | History, Facts, Types, Countries, Blast Radius ...
Oct 12, 2024 · 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 the two. Fission weapons are commonly referred to as atomic bombs, and fusion weapons are referred to as thermonuclear bombs or, more commonly, hydrogen bombs.
Atomic bomb | History, Properties, Proliferation, & Facts - Britannica
Oct 30, 2024 · atomic bomb, weapon with great explosive power that results from the sudden release of energy upon the splitting, or fission, of the nuclei of a heavy element such as plutonium or uranium.
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - HISTORY
Nov 18, 2009 · On August 6, 1945, during World War II (1939-45), an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion...
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Encyclopedia Britannica
Oct 12, 2024 · Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, during World War II, American bombing raids on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945) that marked the first use of atomic weapons in war. Tens of thousands were killed in the blasts and thousands more would die of radiation poisoning.
How Nuclear Bombs Work - HowStuffWorks
Mar 1, 2022 · Nuclear bombs involve the forces — strong and weak — that hold the nucleus of an atom together, especially atoms with unstable nuclei. There are two basic ways that nuclear energy can be released from an atom. In nuclear fission, scientists split the nucleus of an atom into two smaller fragments with a neutron.
Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance
Because of the secretive nature with which most governments treat information about their nuclear arsenals, most of the figures below are best estimates of each nuclear-weapon state’s nuclear holdings, including both strategic warheads and shorter-range and lower-yield nuclear bombs, generally referred to as tactical nuclear weapons.