PROGRES.ID- Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer is a significant figure in physics history. He was the mastermind behind the creation of the world’s first atomic bombs used in the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II.
The atomic bombs that detonated in both Japanese cities had respective strengths of 15 kilotons (kt) and 20 kt. These deadly weapons became crucial in ending World War II, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
However, Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb was not the most powerful in history. There are several nuclear bombs with much greater explosive power.
According to Visual Capitalist, here are the eight largest nuclear explosions in history:
1.Tsar Bomba:
This Soviet-made nuclear bomb exploded on Novaya Zemlya Island in the Arctic Sea of Russia in 1961. With a force reaching 50,000 kt, this explosion destroyed villages up to 55 kilometers away and generated an earthquake with a magnitude of 5-5.25 in the surrounding area. Its mushroom cloud even penetrated the stratosphere to a height of over 60 km.
2.Soviet Test #219:
This Soviet nuclear test, conducted in 1962, had an estimated explosion strength of up to 24,200 kt. The explosion occurred at an altitude of 3.8 km above sea level, with a destructive radius reaching 41 km.
3, 4, 5. Soviet Tests #173, #174, and #147:
These three nuclear tests were conducted by the Soviet Union in 1962 with an explosion strength of 20,000 kt. However, no photos or videos were released about these tests due to secrecy reasons.
6.Castle Bravo:
The United States conducted the Castle Bravo nuclear explosion in 1954, estimated to have a strength of 15,000 kt, two and a half times larger than predicted due to a design error. As a result, an area of 7,000 square miles was contaminated with alarming radioactive fallout in Australia, India, Japan, and Europe.
7.Castle Yankee:
Castle Yankee, a US nuclear test in 1954, recorded an explosion strength of 13,500 kt. Its blast radius reached about 11,400 km, reaching Mexico City within four days.
8.Soviet Test #123:
One of the 57 nuclear tests conducted by the Soviet Union in 1961. This test produced an explosion with an energy of approximately 12,500 kilotons and a blast radius of 3.5 km. Most of the tests were carried out in the Novaya Zemlya Islands in northwestern Russia.
