11–14 of 14 posts
"Each B-52 can deliver a nuclear bombload of 50 megatons, equal to 16 times the total explosive force of all the bombs and shells used by all the armies in World War Two."
It created a fireball 5 miles in diameter, destroyed all buildings up to 34 miles away, and could give 3rd degree burns to people 62 miles away. I can't even comprehend how one bomb could do so much damage.
its ground zero is readily findable by sight on Google Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/w9teB Notice the scale by zooming out ever so slightly. Also, time scale, because it happened decades ago. This has to be the only man-made de struction that can bee seen with the naked eye from space.
No, you can see Los Angeles from space.
I also read somewhere (but can't find the link) that although the Soviet pilots had special shutters and goggles to keep the flash out, when the bomb exploded they claimed they could see their bones through their hands.
Of course, the damage from this bomb (in terms of fallout) was much less than that resulting from the Castle Bravo test[2].
"10 times the combined power of all the conventional explosives used in WWII, or one quarter of the estimated yield of the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa." Looks like we still have a way to go.
Well, that's the most powerful ever detonated , not necessarily the most powerful ever designed or built. Also I assume the current best is classified. We've probably surpassed that by a margin, given that FIFTY years have passed. The time between the first nuke and Tsar Bomba was 15 years. Now we have better science, more money, computers, and a 50 year lead.