On August 6th at 8:15am, Col. Paul Tibbets flying the "Enola Gay" (plane named after his mother) releases "Little Boy" over the city of Hiroshima and executes a hard, 159-degree turn to escape the phenomenal blast. 43 seconds after the boy had left the plane, the A-Bomb detonates 580m over the center of the city, yielding an approx. 15 kiloton explosion that creates a 300m wide and +4000 °C hot fireball, a flash of light brighter than the sun and a blast wave vaporising everything within 3km, turning organic living things (yes, humans too) to carbon in a fraction of a second, covering the whole city in dust and fire and leaving a 20km high black mushroom cloud and all the deadly radiation that goes with it. It is estimated that 50000-100000 died instantly. Another +100000 died from various radiation illnesses. No precise figures were ever released on the number of casualties.
It only took the American 3 days to plan the drop of Fat Man (already 30% more powerfull) on Nagasaki.
The Russians had also been playing "Let's split atoms" and they eventually built and tested the Tsar Bomb...a device more than +60 times more powerful than Little Boy blown over Hiroshima...In 1952 the American announced a phisicist's wet dream come true: the H-Bomb melting atomes together instead of splitting them: more power, more destructive force, less radiation...and in 1961, the Russians detonated a +50 Mton thing that blasted EVERYTHING away within a range of ... 35km. The fireball recorded was 7km wide, the flash was visible from 1000km and the heat from the bomb could still be felt 100km away...the bomb's explosive force was +/- 50 Mtons and was initially planned for an explosion of 100 Mtons (!!!)...to be continued...
Here's a few conversions for those who have difficulties with figures, kommas, zeros, Megas and Kilos:
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1 ton = 1000 kg
1 Kton = 1000 tons = 1000000 kg
1 Mton = 1000000 tons = 1000000000kg
50 Mtons = 50000000 tons = 50000000000kg = Tsar Bomb (Hiroshima = 0.015 Tsar Bomb)
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Today, it is estimated that over 7000 nuclear warheads are ready for use in the world.
And if you happen to be in a bad mood today, I offer you the opportunity to nuke whatever city you want - right now and here, just like Truman: http://www.carloslabs.com/index.php?q=node/20
- typ in the name of a city
- set wind direction
- select an exploding device (from 1Kton Russian suitcase nukes to prehistoric asteroid disasters)
- than NUKE! NULE! NUKE!
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Enola Gay
Enola Gay, you should have stayed at home yesterday
Oho it can't describe the feeling and the way you lied
These games you play, they're gonna end it all in tears someday
Oho Enola Gay, it shouldn't ever have to end this way
It's 8:15, that's the time that it's always been
We got your message on the radio, condition's normal and you're coming home
Enola Gay, is mother proud of little boy today
Oho, this kiss you give, it's never ever gonna fade away
Enola Gay, it shouldn't ever have to end this way
Oho Enola Gay, it should've faded our dreams away
It's 8:15, oh that's the time that it's always been
We got your message on the radio, condition's normal and you're coming home
Enola Gay, is mother proud of little boy today
Oho, this you give, it's never ever gonna fade away