It's hard to describe the destructive power of nuclear weapons. Even if you were five miles away from the center of a nuclear explosion, and even if you had somehow managed to survive the initial shockwave and the winds that were rushing out at hundreds of miles an hour, the heat from the blast alone would be enough to kill you. One small nuclear weapon is enough to utterly destroy an entire city, leaving a poisonous wasteland of toxic radiation behind for generations.
Nuclear weapons changed the history of the 20th century more than any other technology--military or otherwise. In addition to causing unimaginable destruction, they also brought an end to the era of total world war. The ability to instantly annihilate the enemy with nuclear missiles changed the way leaders thought about confronting enemies, and no country has been attacked with a nuclear weapon since the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in the final days of World War II.
These weapons also defined the Cold War. The two defining cultural experiences of the Cold War in the United States were the fear of traitors and the fear of nuclear war. The Soviet Union was constantly threatening the West with annihilation, and events like the Cuban Missile Crisis made those threats seem dangerously realistic. In school, children would practice "duck and cover" drills, in which teachers would ask them to duck under their desks and cover their heads, with the hope that they would survive the initial heat blast and shockwave of a nuclear explosion. Preparing for nuclear war was a part of life.
Use these flashcards to review some of the technology you’ve learned about in this lesson.
What does this word mean?
rocket
a projectile or vehicle that travels long distances using a jet engine
What does this word mean?
jet engine
an engine that propels itself forward using the force created by burning fuel
What does this word mean?
napalm
a mixture of fuel and gel that clings to targets as it burns
What does this word mean?
missile
a rocket that's used as a weapon
Summary
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