The atomic bomb is a powerful nuclear weapon fueled by nuclear fission that splits atomic nuclei. The United States created the first atomic bombs during World War II under the Manhattan Project to combat Nazi Germany. The US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in August 1945, killing over 100,000 people instantly and exposing many more to long-term radiation effects. While nuclear weapons caused devastating harm, some argue they ended WWII and deter nuclear powers today, though others believe their use was unjustified.

1. The Atomic Bomb

2. What is an Atomic Bomb?Powerful explosive nuclear weapon fueled by the splitting, or fission, of the nuclei of specific isotopes of uranium or plutonium in a chain reactionWhat is fission? The act or process of splitting into parts

3. Who created it and when?In 1942 the atomic bomb was developed in the USA to combat the threat of Hitler.

4. After the Germans surrendered, research continued in secret.

5. It cost nearly $2billion and more than 120,000 people were involved.

6. It was named the ‘Manhattan Project’.

7. On the 16th July 1945 the worlds first atomic bomb test was carried out in New Mexico.The effect of Nuclear WeaponsNuclear weapons produce devastating and long-term effects on human and animal life, as well as the environments in which they live. These are the hardest of all types of weapons to make because the critical nuclear elements — plutonium and/or highly enriched uranium — are hard to come by, and are very expensive.

8. Who has them?The United States has a stockpile of 10,600 nuclear weapons and 103 power plants.

9. Russia has a similar supply. Pakistan and India have both exploded nuclear devices in test blasts. Israel and North Korea are two countries Nuclear weapons continue to be a proliferation concern.

10. Japan & the Atomic BombThe first Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on the 6th August 1945.

11. It was dropped from the ‘Enola Gay’ and was nicknamed ‘Little Boy.’