1. Radio
 / Modified jun 11, 2011 9:08 a.m.

The World's Biggest Bomb

SECRETS OF THE DEAD shares the chilling story of the race between the U.S and Soviet Union to build the world’s biggest bomb. Wednesday at 8 p.m. on PBS-HD. by Colleen Greer

Beginning in the 1950s, American and Soviet scientists engaged in a dangerous race to see who could build and detonate the world’s largest bomb. The results exceeded all expectations about how big a bomb could be built. This is an epic story where the United States led the way, but then left the field clear for the Soviet Union to break all records. Terrifyingly, the bomb-makers on both sides were flying blind as they pushed the technology far into unknown territory.

secrets_dead_bomb617x347 Dr. Harold Agnew in 1945. He is holding the core component of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. This small box killed upwards of 70,000 people.
PBS

The story of the race to build the world’s biggest bomb has never been fully told. But the 50-year anniversary in 2011 provides the perfect opportunity to share this chilling story with the world.

Watch the full episode. See more Secrets of the Dead.

Wednesday at 8 p.m. on PBS-HD.

Secrets of the Dead

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona