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Nuclear fission is discovered by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann in germany
Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann discovered nuclear fission after bombarding uranium with neutrons and observing the production of Barium, an indicator that the nucleus had divided. -
Start of WWII
France and Great Britain declared war on Germany following its invasion of Poland on the 1st of September 1939 -
Los Almos approved as the site for research into nuclear weapons
Los Almos was decided by General Leslie Groves to become the main test site for nuclear weapons at the recommendation of J. Robert Oppenheimer who eventually became the site director. Afraid of a German nuclear weapon, the US government elects to create one before the Nazis can. -
Trinity Test
The Trinity test takes place as a result of the Manhattan Project and serves to confirm the effectiveness of nuclear chain reactions as weapons. The effects of the fallout on the nearby population are unknown but may have increased the rate of cancer. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
The Little Boy atomic weapon was dropped on Hiroshima, causing the deaths of 70,000 people on the day of the detonation, and between 90,000 and 166,000 died of acute radiation poisoning in the following months. -
Bombing of Nagasaki
The bombing of Nagasaki takes place after the bombing of Hiroshima and is the last time that a nuclear weapon is ever used. Between 27,000 and 80,000 people die that day and 70,000 more will die months later from acute radiation poisoning. -
End of WWII
The Japanese Government surrendered after the USSR declared war on the Japanese Empire as well as the devastating bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, agreeing to the terms of the Potsdam Declaration that were previously rejected. -
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The Cold War
The Cold War began with the Truman Doctrine, which established that the US would provide aid to all democratic nations threatened by non-democratic forces. At its peak, the Cold War was a nuclear staring contest mainly between the USSR and the US, both able to deliver total destruction to each other. The Cold War would end after the collapse of the USSR. -
Development of the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
The USSR developed the R-7 missile, capable of delivering nuclear ordinance to the US and starting the arms race that would ultimately end in more and more excessive methods of mutually assured destruction. -
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The INF treaty
The INF (Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces) Treaty is signed by Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan. The treaty mandates the elimination of nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,500 kilometres and includes thorough inspections of missile sites. Ultimately the treaty was officially terminated with the United States accusing the Russian Federation of non-compliance with the treaty and both countries withdrawing from the pact. -
Collapse of the USSR
The collapse of the USSR can be attributed to many events. Some of these include political division between Gorbachev, the pluralist movement, which advocated for democratic and economic policies and the conservative communist group, which opposed reform. Another cause is the failed coup by the conservative communist group, which served to destabilise the state further, ending in many soviet nations declaring independence and Gorbachev resigning.