Timeline of nuclear weapons development

Summary

This timeline of nuclear weapons development is a chronological catalog of the evolution of nuclear weapons rooting from the development of the science surrounding nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. In addition to the scientific advancements, this timeline also includes several political events relating to the development of nuclear weapons. The availability of intelligence on recent advancements in nuclear weapons of several major countries (such as United States and the Soviet Union) is limited because of the classification of technical knowledge of nuclear weapons development.

Before 1930 edit

1930–1940 edit

1940–1950 edit

1950–1960 edit

1960–1970 edit

1970–1980 edit

1980–1990 edit

1990–2000 edit

2000–2010 edit

2010–present edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Dear, Ian; Foot, M.R.D., eds. (2001). The Oxford companion to World War II. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860446-7. OCLC 47356289.
  2. ^ a b c "Dawn of the Atomic Age". nuclearweaponarchive.org. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  3. ^ a b "Was HG Wells the first to think of the atom bomb?". 2015-07-04. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  4. ^ "Early Atomic Science". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au "nuclear weapon | History, Facts, Types, & Effects". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  6. ^ "NISHINA Memorial Foundation 2008 – Induced β-Activity of Uranium by Fast Neutrons" (PDF). Nishina Memorial Foundation. March 2008. p. 15. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  7. ^ a b Ikeda, Nagao (25 July 2011). ""The discoveries of uranium 237 and symmetric fission — From the archival papers of Nishina and Kimura"_The discovery of a new uranium isotope, 237U". Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences. 87 (7): 371–376. doi:10.2183/pjab.87.371. PMC 3171289. PMID 21785255.
  8. ^ a b Zoellner, Tom (2009). Uranium. London: Penguin Books. p. 45. ISBN 9780143116721.
  9. ^ a b c d Williams, Susan (2016). Spies in the Congo. New York: Public Affairs. pp. 186–187. ISBN 9781610396547.
  10. ^ a b Marcus, Jonathan (2012-03-28). "France's enduring nuclear deterrent". Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  11. ^ "NISHINA Memorial Foundation 2008 – Induced β-Activity of Uranium by Fast Neutrons" (PDF). Nishina Memorial Foundation. March 2008. p. 16. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  12. ^ Nishina, Yoshio; Kimura, Kenjiro; Yasaki, T.; Ezoe, H.; Ikawa, M. (6 July 1940). "Fission Products of Uranium produced by Fast Neutrons". Nature. 146 (3688): 24. Bibcode:1940Natur.146...24N. doi:10.1038/146024a0. S2CID 4077177.
  13. ^ "Fission Chain Reaction_Trends of Fission Products_Symmetric Fission Products". The LibreTexts libraries. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  14. ^ a b Nichols, K. (1987). The Road to Trinity. New York: Morrow. p. 45. ISBN 9780688069100.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Russia | Countries | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "United States | Countries | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  17. ^ "Milestones: 1937–1945 – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g Young, Ken; Schilling, Warner R. (2019). Super Bomb: Organizational Conflict and the Development of the Hydrogen Bomb. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-1-5017-4516-4.
  19. ^ "Nuclear Weapons – UNODA". Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  20. ^ a b c "Milestones: 1945–1952 – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  21. ^ a b c "Milestones: 1945–1952 – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  22. ^ "Milestones: 1945–1952 – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  23. ^ a b Crane, Conrad C. (June 2000). "To avert impending disaster: American military plans to use atomic weapons during the Korean War". Journal of Strategic Studies. 23 (2): 72–88. doi:10.1080/01402390008437791. ISSN 0140-2390. S2CID 154742337.
  24. ^ a b "Analysis | How the Korean War put presidents in charge of nuclear weapons". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  25. ^ "Milestones: 1953–1960 – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Chinese Nuclear Weapons | Development of Nuclear Program in China | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  27. ^ "Molot M-4 / Mya-4 / 3M Myasishchev 'Bison'". Federation of American Scientists. 8 August 2000. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  28. ^ "Britain's Nuclear Weapons – British Nuclear Testing". nuclearweaponarchive.org. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h "Nuclear Weapons in Russia | Russian Nuclear Sites & Weapons Program | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  30. ^ "Russia tests an intercontinental ballistic missile". HISTORY. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  31. ^ Cohen, Jennie. "History's Worst Nuclear Disasters". HISTORY. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  32. ^ "Windscale: A nuclear disaster". 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  33. ^ "Atlas Chronology". 2006-02-04. Archived from the original on 2006-02-04. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  34. ^ a b c d e Vaez, Ali; Group, Iran expert at the International Crisis. "Born In The USA: How America Created Iran's Nuclear Program". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g "Nuclear weapons timeline | ICAN". Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  36. ^ "Jiuquan Atomic Energy Complex | Facilities | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  37. ^ "The Nuclear Vault: Air Force Histories Released through Archive Law Suit Show Cautious Presidents Overruling Air Force Plans for Early Use of Nuclear Weapons". nsarchive2.gwu.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  38. ^ a b Kristensen, Hans M.; Norris, Robert S. (2017-11-02). "A history of US nuclear weapons in South Korea". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 73 (6): 349–357. Bibcode:2017BuAtS..73f.349K. doi:10.1080/00963402.2017.1388656. ISSN 0096-3402.
  39. ^ a b c "United States | Countries | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  40. ^ "What Missile Gap?". The Atlantic. 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  41. ^ a b Schlosser, Nicholas J., ed. (2017-04-20). RIAS and the Berlin Crisis of 1958–1961. Vol. 1. University of Illinois Press. doi:10.5406/illinois/9780252039690.003.0006.
  42. ^ a b "Milestones: 1953–1960 - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  43. ^ "On Thermonuclear War, by Herman Kahn (1960)". Hoover Institution. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  44. ^ "Herman Kahn | American futurist". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  45. ^ "U.S.-Soviet summit meeting collapses after U-2 spy plane shot down". HISTORY. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  46. ^ Hymans, Jacques E.C. (March 2000). "Isotopes and identity: Australia and the nuclear weapons option, 1949–1999". The Nonproliferation Review. 7 (1): 1–23. doi:10.1080/10736700008436791. ISSN 1073-6700. S2CID 11043181.
  47. ^ "Australia | Countries | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  48. ^ Klara, Robert (September 2018). "Nuclear Fallout Shelters Were Never Going to Work". HISTORY. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  49. ^ "Cuban Missile Crisis". HISTORY. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  50. ^ a b "Canada | Countries | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  51. ^ "Key Issues: Nuclear Weapons: Issues: Accidents: 20 Mishaps that Might Have Caused Nuclear War". nuclearfiles.org. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  52. ^ "French Nuclear Program". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  53. ^ a b c d Norris, Robert S.; Kristensen, Hans M. (2010-07-01). "Global nuclear weapons inventories, 1945–2010". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 66 (4): 77–83. Bibcode:2010BuAtS..66d..77N. doi:10.2968/066004008. ISSN 0096-3402. S2CID 210541752.
  54. ^ a b c d "Milestones: 1969–1976 – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  55. ^ "Egypt | Countries | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  56. ^ Sanger, David E. (2018-10-06). "U.S. General Considered Nuclear Response in Vietnam War, Cables Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  57. ^ M., Cole, Paul (1994). Sweden without the bomb : the conduct of a nuclear-capable nation without nuclear weapons. United States. Central Intelligence Agency. Office of Research and Development., Rand Corporation. National Security Research Division. Santa Monica, CA: Rand. ISBN 0833015834. OCLC 31300407.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  58. ^ "Curtis LeMay". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  59. ^ Quester, George H. (2016-04-21). "Missiles in Cuba, 1970". Foreign Affairs: America and the World. No. April 1971. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  60. ^ "Nixon Proposed Using A-Bomb In Vietnam War". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2002-03-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  61. ^ "Did Israel Ever Consider Using Nuclear Weapons?". Haaretz. 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  62. ^ Cortellessa, Eric. "How Leonid Brezhnev almost escalated the Yom Kippur War into a nuclear nightmare". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  63. ^ "Iran Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, and Missile Weapons Programs | Iran Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  64. ^ Norris, Robert S.; Kristensen, Hans M. (2016-01-02). "Declassified: US nuclear weapons at sea during the Cold War". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 72 (1): 58–61. Bibcode:2016BuAtS..72a..58N. doi:10.1080/00963402.2016.1124664. ISSN 0096-3402. S2CID 146787694.
  65. ^ "Milestones: 1977–1980 – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  66. ^ Burt, Richard (1978-04-09). "Neutron Bomb Controversy Strained Alliance and Caused Splits in the Administration". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  67. ^ Philips, Don (October 23, 1984). "Neutron Bomb Reversal". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  68. ^ "Milestones: 1977–1980 – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  69. ^ "France's Nuclear Weapons – Origin of the Force de Frappe". nuclearweaponarchive.org. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  70. ^ "A Nuclear False Alarm that Looked Exactly Like the Real Thing". Union of Concerned Scientists. 2015-11-09. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  71. ^ "Thirtieth Anniversary of NATO's Dual-Track Decision". nsarchive2.gwu.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  72. ^ "LOOKING BACK: The Nuclear Arms Control Legacy of Ronald Reagan | Arms Control Association". www.armscontrol.org. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  73. ^ "When Carl Sagan Warned the World About Nuclear Winter". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  74. ^ "Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  75. ^ "September 26, 1983". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  76. ^ Aksenov, Pavel (2013-09-26). "The man who may have saved the world". Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  77. ^ "Nuclear Close Calls: Able Archer 83". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  78. ^ "Pershing 2". 2 June 1997. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  79. ^ "Iran's Nuclear Program Timeline and History | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  80. ^ "Former Yugoslavia | Countries | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  81. ^ Weiner, Tim (1997-12-20). "How a Spy Left Taiwan in the Cold". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  82. ^ Sui, Cindy (2017-05-18). "The man who helped prevent a nuclear crisis". Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  83. ^ Westberg, Gunnar (2010-10-09). "Swiss nuclear bomb". IPPNW peace and health blog. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  84. ^ Edwards, Rob. "Swiss planned a nuclear bomb". New Scientist. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  85. ^ "Milestones: 1993–2000 – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  86. ^ "Declaration on a Transformed North Atlantic Alliance". www.nato.int. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  87. ^ a b "Ukraine, Nuclear Weapons, and Security Assurances At a Glance | Arms Control Association". www.armscontrol.org. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  88. ^ Gordon, Michael R. (1992-08-04). "Senate, in Defiance of Bush, Votes to End All Nuclear Tests in '96". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  89. ^ "More megatons to megawatts". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  90. ^ a b c d e f g "North Korean Nuclear Negotiations: A Brief History". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  91. ^ "Nuclear Close Calls: The Norwegian Rocket Incident". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  92. ^ "Kazakhstan Nuclear Disarmament | The History of Nuclear Weapons in Kazakhstan | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  93. ^ "Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons". International Court of Justice. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  94. ^ "Nuclear Disarmament Belarus | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  95. ^ "Ukraine Nuclear Weapons Disarmament | The History of Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  96. ^ "Little Progress Made at START/ABM Talks | Arms Control Association". www.armscontrol.org. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  97. ^ "Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Strategic Offensive Reductions (START II) | Treaties & Regimes | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  98. ^ Fathi, Nazila; Sanger, David E.; Broad, William J. (2006-04-12). "Iran Says It Is Making Nuclear Fuel, Defying U.N." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  99. ^ "Timeline: Iran's nuclear programme". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  100. ^ a b c d "United Kingdom | Countries | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  101. ^ "Jericho 3". Missile Threat. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  102. ^ Traynor, Ian (2009-04-05). "Barack Obama launches doctrine for nuclear-free world". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  103. ^ Sanger, David E.; Erlanger, Steven; Worth, Robert F. (2009-10-29). "Tehran Rejects Nuclear Accord, Officials Report". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  104. ^ Cohen, Tom (19 June 2013). "Obama calls for reducing U.S., Russian nukes – CNNPolitics". CNN. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  105. ^ "Sympathy for victims but no apology as Obama makes historic Hiroshima visit". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  106. ^ "2018 Nuclear Posture Review Resource". Federation of American Scientists. 2018-02-18. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  107. ^ "Special Report: Nuclear Posture Review – 2018". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  108. ^ "Saudi crown prince: If Iran develops nuclear bomb, so will we". www.cbsnews.com. March 15, 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-31.