aug 29, 1949 - USSR Tests First Nuclear Wepon

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The Soviet's first nuclear test was called "First Lightning". The main scientific ambition of the test was to measure levels of radiation and the size of the shock wave. The Soviets also put caged animals nearby to study the effects. The scientists involved with making the bomb said that their lives depended on its success. If the bomb had not worked they would have been shot on the spot. The testing of the Nuclear weapon set the stage for the fear that would be instilled upon the world for the next fifty years.

“Soviet Tests.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/bomb-soviet-tests/.

-William Camp

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