Nuclear History

Early in 1968, a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine sank in the waters off Hawaii, hundreds of miles closer to American shores than it should have been. Compelling evidence strongly suggests that the sub sank while attempting to fire a nuclear missile.

Since 1945, the United States Armed Forces have fielded 70 different nuclear and thermonuclear devices on approximately 120 weapon systems. During this period, the manufacturing operations of the Manhattan Project, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Department of Energy produced about 70,500 nuclear bombs and warheads. The Air Force and the Navy currently deploy eight types of thermonuclear device on six weapon systems and the Department of Defense maintains about 2,500 nuclear bombs and warheads (tactical and strategic) on active duty. It keeps approximately the same number in reserve. ...

The INSTANT New York Times bestseller Instant Los Angeles Times bestseller Finalist, Dayton Literary Peace Prize One of NPR's Books We Love One of Newsweek Staffers' Favorite Books of the Year Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize “In Nuclear War: A Scenario, Annie Jacobsen gives us a...

The American public's introduction to nuclear technology was manifested in destruction and death. With Hiroshima and the Cold War still ringing in our ears, our perception of all things nuclear is seen through the lens of weapons development. Nuclear power is full of mind-bending theories, deep secrets, and the misdirection of public consciousness - some deliberate, some accidental. The result of this fixation on bombs and fallout is that the development of a non-polluting, renewable energy source stands frozen in time.

**Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award** The definitive history of nuclear weapons—from the turn-of-the-century discovery of nuclear energy to J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project—this epic work details the science, the...

A myth-shattering exposé of America’s nuclear weapons. Famed investigative journalist Eric Schlosser digs deep to uncover secrets about the management of America’s nuclear arsenal. A groundbreaking account of accidents, near misses, extraordinary heroism, and technological breakthroughs...

From the Pulitzer Prize—winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb: the story of the entire postwar superpower arms race, climaxing during the Reagan-Gorbachev decade when the United States and the Soviet Union came within scant hours of nuclear war–and then nearly agreed to abolish...

Written in an accessible and authoritative voice, The Button reveals the shocking tales and sobering facts of nuclear executive authority throughout the atomic age, delivering a powerful condemnation against ever leaving explosive power this devastating under any one person's thumb. 

The Great Nuclear War of 1975 In a Different 1975… Superpower relations breakdown and a nuclear war all but annihilates the Soviet Union and devastates the United States. 100 million Americans are dead. After Washington is destroyed, a smalltown judge delivers the oath of office to Vice President Rockefeller. Surviving American forces on land, sea and in the air await orders from the new president. Americans across the nation climb out of the rubble looking for a homeland that no longer exists. In surviving capitals across the globe, governments ponder the implications of a world without ...

In 2026, Iran stands at the most dangerous crossroads in its modern history. After regional war, the collapse of nuclear diplomacy, and a domestic uprising that shook the Islamic Republic to its core, the regime faces converging pressures unlike any since 1979. Sanctions have tightened. Proxy networks are strained. Water shortages threaten internal stability. And the nuclear program has moved closer than ever to weapons capability. How did Iran reach this moment? Iran 2026: What’s Next is a sweeping and deeply researched examination of Iran’s long arc—from the Persian Empire and the ...

Whether you are a scientist or a poet, pro-nuclear energy or staunch opponent, conspiracy theorist or pragmatist, James Mahaffey's books have served to open up the world of nuclear science like never before. With clear explanations of some of the most complex scientific endeavors in history, Mahaffey's new book looks back at the atom's wild, secretive past and then toward its potentially bright future.

Drawing on troves of declassified files, including records released by the government for the first time through the author's efforts, Restricted Data traces the complex evolution of the US nuclear secrecy regime from the first whisper of the atomic bomb through the mounting tensions of the Cold War and into the early 21st century. A compelling history of powerful ideas at war, it tells a story that feels distinctly American: rich, sprawling, and built on the conflict between high-minded idealism and ugly, fearful power. 

In Heroes Beneath the Waves, many brave men who rode submarines to great depths and across the oceans into unknown territory share their experiences, fears, and thoughts. They allow us to travel back in time through their memories. Trained for years to keep silent - for "loose lips sink ships" - many still believe what they know to be classified and refuse to disclose even the minutest of recollections. Others, however, want to leave a legacy of reminiscences for people to learn and live by - to know that freedom is not free.

Here, for the first time, in a brilliant, panoramic portrait by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, is the definitive, often shocking story of the politics and the science behind the development of the hydrogen bomb and the birth of the Cold War. Based on secret...

Power Unleashed: The Story of Nuclear Energy From Atom-Splitting to Clean Energy Futures Nuclear energy is powerful, controversial—and often misunderstood. In Power Unleashed, science and history come together in an engaging, highly readable journey through one of the most important technologies of the modern world. From the first experiments that cracked the atom to the heated debates about today’s energy future, this book explains what nuclear energy is, how it works, where it came from—and where it might take us. Written for curious readers with no scientific background, this ...

We stood by once and watched the world burn. Will we do it again? More Authentic than A House of Dynamite. Geopolitical considerations lead to war not a bolt out of the blue.SBIRS pick up the Korean subs launch of JL-1 missiles and a US Aegis destroyer targets six of the twelve missiles. After a targeted U.S. strike on Iran fails to destroy 900 pounds of enriched uranium, global tensions ignite. China makes its move, arming North Korea with a decommissioned nuclear submarine and rushing high-speed centrifuges to a covert Iranian site. What follows is a deadly escalation that ends with the ...

A Chernobyl survivor and the New York Times bestselling author of The Gates of Europe "mercilessly chronicles the absurdities of the Soviet system" in this "vividly empathetic" account of the worst nuclear accident in history (Wall Street Journal). On the morning of April 26, 1986, Europe...

From the moment radiation was discovered in the late nineteenth century, nuclear science has had a rich history of innovative scientific exploration and discovery, coupled with mistakes, accidents, and downright disasters.

NUCLEAR DISASTER :: CHERNOBYL :: EXPLAINED FACTS :: WITH IMAGES :: UKRAINE :: USSR Do you really know what happened in Chernobyl? The clock read 01:23:40 in Chernobyl. But what really happened at Reactor 4 at that moment? Did the nuclear disaster end in 1986—or did it only just begin? What has humanity learned from the Chernobyl accident? Much has been said about the nuclear disaster that shook the world in 1986, but what you’ll find in this book is even more intriguing. "20 Facts You Didn't Know About Chernobyl" goes beyond the versions you learned at school or saw in TV series. The ...

Atoms and Ashes recounts the dramatic history of nuclear accidents that have dogged the industry in its military and civil incarnations since the 1950s. Through the stories of six terrifying major incidents—Bikini Atoll, Kyshtym, Windscale, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima—Cold War expert Serhii Plokhy explores the risks of nuclear power, both for military and peaceful purposes, while offering a vivid account of how individuals and governments make decisions under extraordinary circumstances.