The World's Biggest Nuclear Bomb
Warfare30 Dec 2022

The World's Biggest Nuclear Bomb

In the early hours of 30 October 1961, a bomber took off from an airstrip in northern Russia and began its flight through cloudy skies over the frigid Russian Arctic. Hanging below this Soviet plane was a nuclear bomb the size of a small school bus. It was the largest and most powerful bomb ever to be created, and it was about to be tested.


The Tsar Bomba’s gigantic detonation was intended to be secret, but was detected by American intelligence agencies—bringing brewing Cold War tensions to fever pitch. The thermonuclear hydrogen bomb yielded the equivalent of 50–58 megatons of TNT, enough to annihilate a small country. The resultant mushroom cloud reached an altitude seven times higher than Mount Everest, and its 8-km-wide wide fireball could be seen from almost 1,000km away.


This week, James is joined by Alex Wellerstein, an expert on the history of nuclear weapons. Together they discuss their development from WW2 to today, and the terrifying legacy of the largest man-made explosion in history.


For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.


To download, go to Android or Apple store.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(423)

Supersonic Nazi Vengeance: V2 Rocket from Cautionary Tales

Supersonic Nazi Vengeance: V2 Rocket from Cautionary Tales

We're bringing you an episode of a podcast we think you'll love: Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford. At the height of World War Two, British intelligence began receiving reports that the enemy was deve...

14 Mars 202435min

WW2: How The War Ended

WW2: How The War Ended

The Second World War officially ended on September 2nd 1945 - and it's estimated that around 3% of the Earth's population perished during the conflict. But what ultimately bought WW2 to an end - and h...

4 Sep 202338min

Rwandan Genocide

Rwandan Genocide

This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and sexual assault. Over the course of 100 days in 1994, it's estimated that between 500,000 and one million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, we...

1 Sep 202354min

Napoleon's Greatest Victory: Austerlitz

Napoleon's Greatest Victory: Austerlitz

December 2nd is a special date for those fascinated by Napoleon Bonaparte. Not only is this the date he crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804, but also the date of his greatest victory a year late...

28 Aug 202328min

WW2: Life in Tanks

WW2: Life in Tanks

What was it actually like to operate a tank during the Second World War?In this episode, we explore the iron belly of tank warfare through the eyes of Private Arthur Ibbotson, who enlisted in the war ...

25 Aug 202343min

Battle of Kursk with James Holland

Battle of Kursk with James Holland

This year marks 80 years since one of the more ferocious clashes of the Second World War: the Battle of Kursk. With a combined 8,000 tanks between the German Wehrmacht and the Soviet Red Army, it beca...

21 Aug 202326min

WW2 Heroes: Unheard Stories

WW2 Heroes: Unheard Stories

As we get closer to the 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord and the D-Day Landings, we're beginning to witness the passing of 'living memory' from the Second World War. With more eyewitnesses, part...

18 Aug 202347min

Putin's Rise to Power

Putin's Rise to Power

Serving continuously as either Prime Minister or President since 1999, Vladimir Putin's leadership of Russia has always dominated the geopolitical stage and made headlines. Enforcing extreme policies,...

14 Aug 202347min

Populärt inom Historia

motiv
massmordarpodden
historiska-brott
olosta-mord
kod-katastrof
rss-historien-om-2
historiepodden-se
p3-historia
rss-massmordarpodden
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
konspirationsteorier
rss-brottsligt
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
krigshistoriepodden
bedragare
nu-blir-det-historia
militarhistoriepodden
palmemordet
rss-folkets-historia
obskyr-historia