Transcript Hydrogen bomb - MsMeeksHistoryClass

Hydrogen bomb
By: DJ Ayotte
And Ryan Blanchard
Making of the Bomb

It is named for its two chief contributors,
Hungarian-born physicist Edward Teller and
Polish born mathematician Stanislaw Ulam,
who developed it in 1951 for use by the
United States.
The Codename for the Hydrogen Bomb was
“MIKE”
What is the Hydrogen Bomb?
• The contents of the bomb include:
 At the center of it, lies an Atomic Bomb.
 Surrounding the Atom Bomb is a layer of lithium deuteride,
a compound of lithium and deuterium, the isotope of
hydrogen with a mass of 2.
 Around it is a tamper free thick outer layer of fissionable
material that holds the contents together in order to obtain
a larger explosion.
 Neutrons from the Atomic explosion cause the lithium to
fission into helium and tritium which causes amass amount
of energy.
 In essence the Hydrogen bomb is an extremely large
shockwave caused by a mixture of fission and fusion.
First Use of the Bomb
The first time the Hydrogen bomb was used
was on May 12, 1951 on an island in the
Pacific. The Hydrogen Bomb is 1,000 times
more powerful then the Atomic Bomb. The
U.S. felt it was necessary to start its
production because of the Development of
the Soviet Atomic Bomb
Effects of the Hydrogen Bomb
• In 1954, the U.S. tested the Hydrogen bomb in
the Island of Bikini in the Pacific.
• The explosion was so violent, that it
overwhelmed the measuring instruments
indicating that the bomb was much more
powerful than the scientists had expected.
• It destroyed one island and left a crater 175 feet
deep.
• There were 23 nuclear tests carried out on the
Island of Bikini between 1946 and 1958.
Why Did We Make It?
• On January 31st, 1950 President Truman announced
that the decision to use the Hydrogen bomb should be
pursued.
• He said, “It is part of my responsibility as commander
in chief, to see to it that our country is able to defend
itself against any possible aggressor.”
• Accordingly, he directed the Atomic Energy
Commission to continue its work on all forms of Atomic
Weapons including, the so called Hydrogen or Super
Bomb
• One of the main reasons for this decision was to
combat the Soviets exploding their first Atomic Bomb.
Things to Know…
Works Cited
• Works Cited "American Experience . Race for the Superbomb .
Hydrogen Bomb Decision |." PBS. Web. 03 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/peopleevents/pandeAME
X56.html>. The Cold War Museum. Web. 03 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.coldwar.org>. "Hydrogen Bomb / Fusion Weapons."
GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information. Web. 03 Feb.
2010. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/intro/h-bomb.htm>.
"Nuclear weapon -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 03 Feb.
2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon>. "What is a
Hydrogen Bomb?" WiseGEEK: clear answers for common questions.
Web. 03 Feb. 2010. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ahydrogen-bomb.html>. "World History 1950 -1951." American
History and World History at Historycentral.com the largest and
most complete history site on the web. Web. 03 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.historycentral.com/dates/1950.html>.