The World's Biggest Bomb

Season 1

In 1954, the USA exploded its first hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific. It remains America's biggest bomb. A few years later the USSR detonated a device even larger and more devastating. It's one of the most extraordinary tales in the history of science, yet one which is largely unknown. This fascinating history documentary examines why these superpowers raced to build the world's biggest bomb.

20111 episode

TV-G

Special Interest

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S1 E1 - The World's Biggest Bomb
May 21, 2011
53min
TV-G
In 1954, the USA exploded its first hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific. It remains America's biggest bomb. A few years later the USSR detonated a device even larger and more devastating. It's one of the most extraordinary tales in the history of science, yet one which is largely unknown. This fascinating history documentary examines why these superpowers raced to build the world's biggest bomb.
Free trial of BBC Select