The beginning of the nuclear weapons era (1945-1954)

An American bomber preparing for takeoff with an atomic bomb on board to bomb Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Panorama of Hiroshima after the atomic bombing.

American bombers in flight.

Explosion of the atomic bomb (top).

Explosion of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 (top).

Clouds of smoke and fire.

Panorama of Hiroshima after the atomic bombing.

Japanese children leaving the contaminated zone.

Providing medical assistance to children affected by the damaging effects of a nuclear explosion.

A girl walks through a destroyed neighborhood.

Panorama of the city (top).

A woman and a girl walk through a destroyed city block.

Nuclear bomb test, explosion on Bikini Atoll (top).

Explosions of nuclear bombs during tests, the effect of the shock wave on building structures.

Test of American thermonuclear weapons at Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954. Consequences of an underwater nuclear explosion, the effect of a tsunami.

The impact of a ground-based nuclear explosion on objects.

The impact of the shock wave on various objects, aircraft at the airfield, vehicles, and forests.

Types of nuclear explosions during tests, clouds of radioactive dust.