Photos of atomic bomb tests

Today is the 58th anniversary of the first hydrogen bomb detonation, a US test in the Pacific's Marshall islands. LIFE presents a gallery of A-Bomb Tests and related imagery.

Top: A 1971 nuclear explosion in Mururoa Atoll, in French Polynesia, resembles something from another world. France announced on March 24, 2009, that it will compensate 150,000 victims of nuclear testing carried out in the 1960s in French Polynesia and Algeria, after decades of denying its responsibility. An initial sum of 10 million euros (14 million dollars) was set aside for military and civilian staff as well as local populations who fell ill from radiation exposure.

Left: U.S. Navy Vice Admiral William H. P. Blandy, his wife, and Rear Admiral Frank J. Lowry cut a cake made in the shape of a mushroom cloud at a reception for Operation Crossroads, November 6, 1946.

Terrible Beauty: A-Bomb Tests

• [kc0bbq]

  One of my favorite books is Michael Light’s photo compilation ’100 Suns’. It has pictures of every surface test conducted by the US. Some of the h-bomb test photos look like beautiful tropical sunrise photos. It’s disturbing, yet incredibly beautiful at the same time.

• [peacock]

  Photo of Miss Atomic Bomb by Don English

  http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YeAA0yNGT6o/S2JoKr_cKgI/AAAAAAAAAcc/wp_dELnsDf0/s1600-h/miss_atomic_bomb_1957_by_don_english.jpg

• [andyhavens]

  Just look at it (through smoked glasses)

• [d913]

  heh heh heh … “Rear Admiral” …

• [Niklas]

  Excellent choice. Your hat should always match your cake.

• [Rayonic]

  Some people say that nuclear-themed cake was tasteless, but it looks pretty awesome to me. They forget that nuclear weapons are really cool, in addition to being mechanisms for horrific destruction and/or the apocalypse. You know, like zombies but more real.

• [muteboy]

  I watched ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ on telly the other day. Crappy remake, but interesting take on the nuke tests. Cool shot of the Nevada desert littered with craters. Not real, obv.

• [Swizzlebat]

  I agree on Mrs. Admiral Blandy’s excellent choice in hats. ka-BOOM! Just the thing to wear when all your hair starts to fall out from the fallout.

• [osmo]

  Im trying to find the story/name of that russian lower officer who saved Earth in the 60s… anyone know which one Im talking about? A guy who was ordered to retaliate against a nuclear attack that the russian defence system thought was taking place – alá mutual assured destruction – but chose to disobay direct orders and refused to do it.

  • [M.]

    There was more than one Russian who saved earth, osmo.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasili_Arkhipov

  • [Nadreck]

    I don’t know about a Russian officer but there was certainly a Canadian officer at NORAD who did this. He refused to turn his key when the new BMEWS radar started picking up the moon coming over horizon. His reasoning was that Kruschev was in New York that day for some shoe-pounding action and that this was a most unlikely time for an atomic attack. His reasoning was justified as the “incoming missiles” just parked themselves on the horizon, gradually moved across the sky at the same altitude and then went back down over the other horizon.

  • [mennonot]

    Osmo,

    Are you talking about Stanislaw Petrov, who did not launch a nuclear retaliation attack after a false alarm in 1983? His story is here:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov#1983_incident

• [Tim]

  I have a poster of that atomic bomb blast. I had in my apartment during college but afterwards took it down because I decided it was a little too depressing.

• [Anonymous]

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9lquok4Pdk

• [Anonymous]

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov saved the world.

• [billstewart]

  Wow! 66 euros compensation in return for having been nuked! Quelle générosité!

  • [benher]

    But those were 1960s euros!

• [lessthanzen]

  I’m working on a series titled “Bombardment”. Here’s one of the pieces: http://tinyurl.com/24xjyml .Hit the “home” button on the page if you want to see the rest.

• [forgeweld]

  Christ, etc.

• [Anonymous]

  We need to learn to get along, I am of the human race. I am trying to renew a feeling of peace and love, is it too late for us to teach our children?