Essay On The Nuclear Blast Of First Lightening

On August 29, 1949, in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, Russian physicists were busy at work, preparing for the detonation of their first atomic bomb: “First Lightening”. The nuclear blast of “First Lightening” was equal to the aftermath of “Trinity”, the first American detonation. Both bombs successfully incinerated caged animals and buildings constructed to stand against the blast and its deadly 20 kiloton explosion. Russian physicists were applauded for their work on the bomb and were honored with titles of “Heroes of Socialist Labor,” or the less reputable award, “The Order of Lenin.” If not for the successful detonation, these men would have been executed for failure of such a classified project. The United States had become aware of the communist detonation when an American spy plane picked up radiation off of the coast of Siberia.
In 1946, when the …show more content…
Lilienthal’s choice was challenged by Lewis Strauss, a member of the Commission, who argued that the only way to be ahead of the Nuclear Arms Race, was to keep creating and researching more and more so the United States would be top dog on atomic knowledge and arsenal, thus suggesting the production and research of the H – Bomb (Hydrogen Bomb). It was September 23, 1949, that the American people stood in shock and fear as thirty-third President, Harry S. Truman released to the United States confirmation that the Russians too had their own atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project leader, J. Robert Oppenheimer, had a group committee discuss how the United States should retaliate, nuclear wise. There was a recommendation that the expansion of atomic weapons continue to be produced and researched, but the majority did not want to follow through with the production of the H-Bomb. 5 months following the detonation