aug 12, 1953 - The Soviets test a hydrogen bomb

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The first American test of a hydrogen bomb obliterated a Pacific island on November 1, 1952. The first Soviet test followed in a Central Asian desert on August 12, 1953. Both explosions blew, blinded, and burned birds out of the sky. And that, though bad for the birds, turned out to be a small but significant sign of hope for the human race.
A Soviet scientist found that the explosion “transcended some kind of psychological barrier.” (Gaddis 2006, p.62)

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