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    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»February»February 9»February 9, 1959: First Intercontinental Missile Armed with a Nuclear Warhead
    February 9

    February 9, 1959: First Intercontinental Missile Armed with a Nuclear Warhead

    Major DanBy Major DanFebruary 9, 2014Updated:January 20, 2022117 Comments4 Mins Read
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    R-7 Semyorka

    A Brief History

    February 9, 1959 opened a new and scary chapter in the atomic age when the U.S.S.R. fielded the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) armed with a nuclear warhead, the R-7 Semyorka.

    Digging Deeper

    Digging deeper, we find the United States (and allies) and the U.S.S.R. (and its allies) engaged in a scary Cold War from the end of World War II until 1991 when the U.S.S.R. finally disintegrated.

    The reason for the scariness can be summed up in one word: Nukes!  The prospect of total nuclear war was sobering, since mutual nuclear destruction could actually have ended modern civilization as we knew it and perhaps have killed billions of people.  Even those who would not have died as a direct result of the nuclear blasts might later have starved in the “nuclear winter” caused by millions of tons of ash in the air blocking the sun.   Survivors would have been left with a world where much of the prime real estate would be irradiated for hundreds or thousands of years.

    Prior to the advent of the ICBM, one way nuclear warheads could be delivered was by artillery guns, good only for local battlefield use and a danger to the troops that shot them!  Nuclear warheads could also be delivered by bomber aircraft such as the American B-52 Stratofortress or the Soviet Tu-20 Bear (later called the Tu-95).  Although these aircraft could, with aerial refueling, conceivably hit any target on the earth, prior history showed that bombers did not always get through.  Anti-aircraft missiles had been invented, jet fighter airplanes were on the ready to shoot bombers down, and intricate radar systems were employed to give hours of warning to either side should the other side decide to attack.

    Suddenly, the situation changed!  With a surprise ICBM attack, either side would only have 20 minutes or so warning time before impact, and there was no known way to stop the incoming missiles.  The world became a much more dangerous place as the United States quickly fielded its own ICBMs and then took things a step further by successfully deploying submarine-launched missiles and loaded multiple nuclear warheads on their land and sea missiles.  Not surprisingly, the Soviets quickly matched that capability, and Mutually Assured Destruction (known appropriately as MAD) became the theory that would supposedly protect everyone by making nuclear war un-winnable.

    Thousands of warheads were fielded by both sides until the break-up of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.  Unfortunately, many countries now have nuclear weapons and several more are intent on obtaining nukes or making their own.  One cannot help but wonder how many houses, farms, water purification plants and schools could have been built with the time and resources the world has put into nuclear weapons systems!

    Question for students (and subscribers): Have you ever seen a nuclear missile?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Burns, Richard Dean and Joseph M. Siracusa.  A Global History of the Nuclear Arms Race: Weapons, Strategy, and Politics: A Global History of the Nuclear Arms Race [2 volumes]: Weapons, Strategy, and Politics (Praeger Security International).  Praeger, 2013.

    The featured image in this article, a diagram by Nasa / Peter Gorin / Emmanuel Dissais showing the evolution of Soviet space launch vehicles in the early years, is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that “NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted“. (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.)

    You can also watch a video version of this article on YouTube.

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    Major Dan
    Major Dan

      Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

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      <span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1175 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1175">117 Comments

      1. Avatar
        DAVID WARDLE on April 13, 2015 9:04 am

        This is why we should hope WWIII never occurs! — DAVID WARDLE

        Reply
      2. Avatar
        Heather H on April 14, 2015 12:31 pm

        In the event of a nuclear war, it will most probably be the last war fought on this planet

        Reply
      3. Avatar
        Samantha Easterling on April 17, 2015 12:58 pm

        If a nuclear war breaks out, it will most like be the end

        Reply
      4. Avatar
        Natalie Sholtis on April 20, 2015 12:43 pm

        Things like this are so depressing. I hope that no one dares to use another nuclear bomb ever again on another nation. I don’t think that there is any reason good enough in this world that means we must resolve to nuclear war.

        Reply
      5. Avatar
        Mike Rinicella on April 20, 2015 2:24 pm

        If this world ever went to a nuclear war, all of humanity would be lost

        Reply
      6. Avatar
        Jake Woolf on April 22, 2015 8:27 pm

        “One cannot help but wonder how many houses, farms, water purification plants and schools could have been built with the time and resources the world has put into nuclear weapons systems!”
        I’m glad to see someone echo Bastiat’s That which is unseen.

        Reply
      7. Avatar
        Alex Guthrie on April 25, 2015 9:23 am

        It’s amazing that humans have such knowledge and power to be able to do this. Nuclear and biological warfare both are scary ideas.

        Reply
      8. Avatar
        Allison Pugliese on August 8, 2015 8:47 am

        I think the article makes a sobering statement in the last paragraph. The author writes, “One cannot help but wonder how many houses, farms, water purification plants and schools could have been built with the time and resources the world has put into nuclear weapons systems!”. It is sad to think about how much money was and is poured into the construction of deadly weapons and what that money could potentially do if put to a different use. Nevertheless, if the U.S. had not created a ICBM like the U.S.S.R. the war could have had a very different outcome.

        Reply
        • Avatar
          Dana Janeda on August 9, 2015 2:29 pm

          I agree that this statement caught my attention. This is definitely a powerful way to end the article as it makes a lasting effect on the reader.

          Reply
        • Avatar
          Emily Danzig on August 13, 2015 9:27 am

          I agree, that passage is a really powerful way to end the article and a huge take away for the reader. Nuclear warfare is such a scary concept

          Reply
      9. Avatar
        BB on August 10, 2015 12:28 pm

        It’s hard to think that even though ICBM missiles were still a missile that no one would be able to intercept it like a bomber plane. Granted, the missile did contain a nuclear weapon, but even still they in theory would have been shot high enough off the ground to where if they exploded it would cause little to no harm. At least that’s what I think.

        Reply
      10. Avatar
        Craig Milby on August 10, 2015 8:04 pm

        What’s scary too is that after the fall of the Soviet Union, many of the ICBM’s that they built were “lost” and to this day we don’t know where they are…

        Reply
      11. Avatar
        Cooper Oexle on August 11, 2015 8:14 pm

        This situation is not a pleasant one to think about. It must have been quite nerve-wracking to be alive during this period and not know if the world they knew would be over the next day. I truly hope there will never be a time where nuclear warfare will actually take place. We’ve all seen movies where an evil genius hacks into countries nuclear bases and sets off bombs and destroys Earth and I hope these ideas stay in Hollywood!

        Reply
      12. Avatar
        Jack Berry on August 13, 2015 4:59 pm

        Extremely frightening thought, I could not imagine living in a time where there was a real threat of nuclear fall out.

        Reply
      13. Avatar
        Stephen Ciocca on August 13, 2015 5:44 pm

        I had no idea that nuclear warheads could be attached to artillery and fired across enemy lines.. That is a very scary thought when you think about the blast range associated with a nuke. It is crazy to think about how close the world came to a nuclear war.. it is quite scary to think that things like this exist.

        Reply
      14. Avatar
        DM on August 13, 2015 7:19 pm

        The nuclear warheads that could be attached to artillery were a last resort because the blast range of the warhead was greater than the range the weapon could be fired. I would not want to have been stationed on one of those pieces of artillery!

        Reply
      15. Avatar
        Brett N on February 9, 2016 2:07 pm

        It is scary to see what the military is actually capable of. The blast range of a nuke is amazing. So much damage can be done with such a piece of technology. Hopefully we never reach a point in time where these weapons are needed.

        Reply
      16. Avatar
        Matt M on February 11, 2016 4:52 pm

        A big thing I got from this article is how fast the world could change and how drastically from one country starting a nuclear war. Its crazy to think of the capabilities that these weapons have. The biggest thing from this article though was the last sentence that really put our world in prospective for me. All these countries have spent so much time building these weapons to put fear into and possible destroy each other while we could have used this time and incredible knowledge to do great things in the world.

        Reply
      17. Avatar
        Paul W on February 19, 2016 8:22 pm

        The cold war was basically two superpowers fighting a verbal war and building technology to be superior to the other country. It’s kind of silly to think that two global powers basically arguing who was better and trying to prove it because they felt their government was better than the other countries.

        Reply
      18. Avatar
        Ryan Codispoti on March 3, 2016 10:11 am

        Its a weird thought knowing earth can be altered at the push of a button. I almost wonder if they ever intended on using it in the first place because id imagine setting off a nuke would have effected their country as well but i could be wrong.

        Reply
      19. Avatar
        ryan C on March 14, 2016 11:13 am

        the deadliest thing ever created.

        Reply
      20. Avatar
        Derek Phillips on April 4, 2016 9:35 am

        I find the Cold War as one of the most interesting wars because of what “could” have happened! This was a good interesting read!

        Reply
      21. Avatar
        Danielle on April 4, 2016 3:28 pm

        It’s astonishing how dangerous these weapons were. Twenty minute warning, no known way to stop the missile. Wow.

        Reply
      22. Avatar
        MB on April 6, 2016 3:19 pm

        So much more could have been built for our country instead of using all the resources to make the nuclear weapons.

        Reply
      23. Avatar
        SW on April 13, 2016 9:16 pm

        Sadly it seems like if we had spent the time and money on other resources we would of been bombed. It’s unlikely we will every experience total world peace anytime soon either though.

        Reply
      24. Avatar
        Amber Moore on April 16, 2016 10:43 am

        I used to think that it was bad that the Soviet Union also developed nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Now I’m not so sure because at least now the US won’t be so bomb-happy. In other words, they won’t just resort to dropping a nuclear bomb on a country that won’t do what they want because they could have the threat of being nuked themselves.

        Reply
      25. Avatar
        Emmaline K on April 18, 2016 1:48 pm

        I didn’t realize that atomic bombs could cause fatal nuclear winters.

        Reply
      26. Avatar
        kk on April 21, 2016 11:29 am

        That would be a scary moment in history. You never know who will launch first and the people never know when they could die. That missile looks like one scary unit. When someone gets involved in nuclear power it is just a scary thought.

        Reply
      27. Avatar
        Sarah G on April 24, 2016 1:08 am

        That is scary to learn about but also interesting to hear about the fatal winters.

        Reply
      28. Avatar
        Brett Nagy on April 27, 2016 12:28 am

        I could only imagine what kind of destruction that bad boy could do.

        Reply
      29. Avatar
        Diana N on April 27, 2016 2:17 pm

        If anyone survives that kind of destruction, I don’t think they would be able to live very long with how damaged their surroundings are.

        Reply
      30. Avatar
        Meghan R on April 27, 2016 3:26 pm

        Nuclear warfare always scares me. Not only does the bomb itself destroy so much, but the aftermath is horrific.

        Reply
      31. Avatar
        Raquel F on April 27, 2016 4:16 pm

        I really liked the closing sentence of this article “One cannot help but wonder how many houses, farms, water purification plants and schools could have been built with the time and resources the world has put into nuclear weapons systems!”

        Reply
      32. Avatar
        Nicole Z on May 3, 2016 9:35 pm

        I knew what kind of destruction that would happen with nuclear warfare. But I didn’t know it could cause fatal nuclear winters.

        Reply
      33. Avatar
        Austin Miko on May 4, 2016 12:56 pm

        It was interesting to read this article and learn the amount of destruction nukes could cause.

        Reply
      34. Avatar
        Erika Grumbach on May 4, 2016 4:49 pm

        Nuclear weapons are terrifying to me. It’s crazy to think if a nuclear war broke out during the cold war, that could’ve been the end of civilization.

        Reply
      35. Avatar
        Sabrina Peelman on May 4, 2016 5:20 pm

        Reading things like this makes me wonder if I’d even been apart of this world if this would have escalated.

        Reply
      36. Avatar
        Kamarin R on May 6, 2016 1:41 pm

        Pretty scary how nuclear weapons advanced that quick since WWII. Good thing the Cold War never escalated.

        Reply
      37. Avatar
        Andy frick on May 8, 2016 4:49 pm

        The whole nuclear situation is frightening. It is tough to imagine some country won’t behave like the Nazi’s and start a nuclear war. Imagine if Hitler had had access to these weapons.

        Reply
      38. Avatar
        Melody Ortiz on May 9, 2016 1:16 pm

        i could never imagine a nuclear war happening and hope it never does

        Reply
      39. Avatar
        Dakota A rinier on May 10, 2016 6:44 am

        It would be the end of the human race if this war ever broke out today

        Reply
      40. Avatar
        Matt Smail on May 11, 2016 8:43 am

        i think nuclear war today is more of a scare tactic to not get into war. i do not believe we would be dumb enough to bomb somebody without knowing the consequences.

        Reply
      41. Avatar
        Isaac Talley on May 11, 2016 2:02 pm

        Nuclear warfare is just bluff after the bombing japan. No will ever use it because they know it will destroy them as well from the retaliation. Fingers crossed that North Korea learns this before its too late,

        Reply
      42. Avatar
        BV on May 12, 2016 12:17 am

        Nuclear weapons is just to keep America from using them , i think. Just to scare each other into not using them.

        Reply
      43. Avatar
        Loren deck on May 12, 2016 3:17 pm

        To be honest mutually assured destruction had done more to prevent wars than even the UN in my opinion

        Reply
      44. Avatar
        Nikos Nacopoulos on August 18, 2016 1:49 am

        The ICBMs were what really got the nuclear race going since at that point, the US and USSR were able to finally reach each other with conventional missiles. A very scary time indeed!

        Reply
      45. Avatar
        AM on October 11, 2016 12:37 pm

        I could never imagine living during a time of nuclear warfare. I hope I never have to either.

        Reply
      46. Avatar
        MM on October 31, 2016 12:49 pm

        This nuclear warfare was extremely dangerous. It’s amazing how much it effected the atmosphere by having ash cover the air and calling it a “nuclear winter”.

        Reply
      47. Avatar
        MT on November 12, 2016 1:06 pm

        I think that nuclear weapons should not even be created in today’s worlds. Trump however may not be smart enough to not use them sadly.

        Reply
      48. Avatar
        Jordin Vidmar on November 27, 2016 1:51 pm

        The thought of nuclear warfare is extremely terrifying. If for some reason the world went into a nuclear war, I believe that each country would wipe each other out.

        Reply
      49. Avatar
        Lori Caudill on November 27, 2016 5:18 pm

        I am all for using our resources to build up countries instead of destroying them. I prefer avoidance when it comes to the topic of nuclear weapons.

        Reply
      50. Avatar
        Diana Minich on November 28, 2016 12:45 pm

        Very scary when we talk nuclear weapons, but if you do not develop them and stay a super power, you take the risk of being attacked. The Iran nuke deal should have never happened. Hopefully that deal gets thrown out when Obama leaves office.

        Reply
      51. Avatar
        Jennifer Maurer on November 28, 2016 3:46 pm

        The idea of nuclear warfare certainly made the world a smaller place. It is an amazing scary concept to think a weapon can be launched and hit a target on the other side of the world within minutes.

        Reply
      52. Avatar
        Lydia Ott on November 28, 2016 9:36 pm

        I hope there is never another reason for any country to use nuclear weapons. They are more destructive than necessary and cost too many lives. The effects are long lasting, not just from the initial blast. A nuclear war could end all of humanity.

        Reply
      53. Avatar
        Lessie Parish on November 29, 2016 10:02 am

        The idea of a nuclear war is terrifying. I hope we never have to suffer from this. It is scary that nuclear weapons can be sent so far with the hit of a button. The thought of the damage it could do is terrifying.

        Reply
      54. Avatar
        Montel Lollis on November 29, 2016 11:23 am

        The result of killing billions of people will be like the armageddon and cold sick and suffering after everything goes down, but i could see why it could be so damn scary!!!

        Reply
      55. Avatar
        Breanna Beckley on November 29, 2016 12:28 pm

        The thought of having a nuclear war is beyond scary. I hope that there is never any reason for any country to use these nuclear weapons.

        Reply
      56. Avatar
        Ben McClay on November 29, 2016 9:38 pm

        I really like the point at the end of the article that asks the question on how many farms, houses, and schools could be put in in replace of Nukes being put in. This really shows where the country’s values have been at certain times during history.

        Reply
      57. Avatar
        Dakota Zimmerman on November 30, 2016 10:47 am

        The cold war revolved around making weapons to revolve around the nuclear warhead. These missiles were also a scare tactic to the Russians.

        Reply
      58. Avatar
        Maxwell McCullough on November 30, 2016 12:29 pm

        Nukes are bad enough but add in ICBM’s and you’ve got a bad time.

        Reply
      59. Avatar
        Michaela Ping on November 30, 2016 3:39 pm

        This is another case where people need to stop thinking can we? and start thinking should we?

        Reply
      60. Avatar
        Nicholas Hillyer on November 30, 2016 6:16 pm

        These military leaders must just go sit down and think how do we kill more people easier and faster.

        Reply
      61. Avatar
        Kala Strong on December 1, 2016 11:18 am

        The thought of nuclear war has always been a scary thought. This is evident in regards to the reading.

        Reply
      62. Avatar
        Brandon Wagner on December 1, 2016 5:13 pm

        It is so crazy that the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union lasted for so long. The thought of nuclear warfare happening with our country is frightening.

        Reply
      63. Avatar
        Elizabeth Bon on December 1, 2016 6:58 pm

        Nukes are just scary. I personally wish everyone around the would would get rid of them otherwise one of these days it will bring us to the end of time I’m afraid.

        Reply
      64. Avatar
        Taylor Young on December 1, 2016 11:00 pm

        After reading this article I was stunned to see that whoever is getting attacked by a Nuke gets a 20 minutes notice before but there is nothing that they can do.

        Reply
      65. Avatar
        Rose Jepson on December 2, 2016 4:00 pm

        Thank God for our armed forces and those that protect this country. I couldn’t imagine the world ending from nuclear bombs. It’s scary to think that they even exist in this world.

        Reply
      66. Avatar
        Alyssa Hanes on December 3, 2016 10:48 am

        Nukes are absolutely terrifying and I hope that we never have to experience an attack from them because of the tragedy that it would bring. It’s scary to think about what types of nuclear weapons and bombs other countries may possibly have.

        Reply
      67. Avatar
        David Birkbeck on December 3, 2016 2:22 pm

        So 1959 was the beginning of real nukes and real intercontinental scares.

        Reply
      68. Avatar
        Shannon Read on December 3, 2016 4:38 pm

        Thinking of nuclear warfare has always been scary to think about. The amount of destruction and devastation that occurs is unfathomable to comprehend. I was surprised to see that whoever is going to get nuked gets a warning prior to the attack, but sadly there is nothing that they can do.

        Reply
      69. Avatar
        Jingshan Jiang on December 3, 2016 8:09 pm

        Nukes as a mass destruction weapon can destroy the world. I hope we will never use it. Such as North Korea, I do not think that it is good to make nuclear weapon.

        Reply
      70. Avatar
        Shuling He on December 3, 2016 9:59 pm

        Nukes is so horrible since it can destroy all the things, hope it never be used

        Reply
      71. Avatar
        Audrey Manahan on December 3, 2016 10:21 pm

        I have never heard of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) before reading this article. It is scary to think about the damage that can be done by such weapons.

        Reply
      72. Avatar
        Daina Thomas on December 4, 2016 11:33 am

        A lot of war weapons surprise with all the destruction they can cause.

        Reply
      73. Avatar
        LF on December 4, 2016 3:48 pm

        this is just terrifying to think about actually existing.

        Reply
      74. Avatar
        Natalie antonio on December 5, 2016 1:10 pm

        This is really scary to think that something like this exists in the world, and how much destruction it could accomlish

        Reply
      75. Avatar
        Kristin Fellure on December 7, 2016 12:29 pm

        Nukes are very scary to think about. I hope no one uses anything like this in any wars to come.

        Reply
      76. Avatar
        AA on December 7, 2016 5:05 pm

        This article reminds me of all of the different occasions where there were communication errors and because of this, countless occasions where a world might not exist.

        Reply
      77. Avatar
        ES on December 7, 2016 6:12 pm

        Nukes are incredibly scary to imagine, especially being used.

        Reply
      78. Avatar
        Suzie M. Shaffer on December 7, 2016 10:43 pm

        I don’t want to live to see a nuclear bomb, the most tragic event to witness. There is no reason in the world that can stand for the why a nuclear bomb was dropped on a country!

        Reply
      79. Avatar
        Courtney G on December 8, 2016 6:36 pm

        I can’t think of any reason why it would be okay to drop one of these and I hope I never experience it in my lifetime.

        Reply
      80. Avatar
        Keagan Frey on December 9, 2016 1:25 am

        Nuclear fallout seems to be a very possible future. I hope that this never happens.

        Reply
      81. Avatar
        Travis Tarnowski on December 9, 2016 11:05 pm

        Again the thought of bombs like this are very scary and I hope none of the wars ever lead to the use of these bombs

        Reply
      82. Avatar
        Hunter Music on December 10, 2016 5:51 am

        Mutual Assured Destruction definitely sums up why we are not at nuclear war. We would rather focus our efforts on mind control or other tactics.

        Reply
      83. Avatar
        Alexis Dykes on December 11, 2016 5:01 pm

        I too hope this never happens…

        Reply
      84. Avatar
        Jessica May on December 11, 2016 10:19 pm

        Nuclear weapons are so unnecessary

        Reply
      85. Avatar
        Jared A. Hutt on February 11, 2017 4:02 pm

        The fact the nuclear wars can’t be “won” is the only thing saving billions of lives.

        Reply
      86. Avatar
        Kay McCargish on February 13, 2017 11:53 am

        I don’t think MAD assures us any kind of peace of mind! It only takes one mentally unbalanced person to authorize their use!

        Reply
      87. Avatar
        Dan Sumpter on February 13, 2017 9:23 pm

        I’m glad i am not sitting here and thinking more about what could happen if these nukes were launched, otherwise I would live with preoccupied fear.

        Reply
      88. Avatar
        Cara Zang on February 14, 2017 2:52 pm

        Its hard to imagine what could of been if these weapons were used. I just don’t understand how someone would knowingly want to kill that many people.

        Reply
        • Avatar
          Bailey Cleary on February 14, 2017 4:03 pm

          I agree with you I was thinking the same thing. I just don’t understand why people have the desire to kill other people.

          Reply
      89. Avatar
        Luke Lyden on February 14, 2017 6:41 pm

        The world would be destroyed if everyone used all of these weapons.

        Reply
      90. Avatar
        Christie Benton on February 16, 2017 12:55 pm

        The effects of a nuclear war would be catostrophic. Even if food could be grown, the amount of chemicals in the land alone would poison generations beyond today.

        Reply
      91. Avatar
        Dan Fidoe on February 16, 2017 3:39 pm

        The use of a nuke in modern times will be catastrophic. I do not think you can compare what could have been done with the amount of resources and time that went into nuclear proliferation. It had to be done and you cannot put a price on national security.

        Reply
      92. Avatar
        Jason Orellano on February 17, 2017 2:07 pm

        That is the times we lived in then and now. Its all a game of chess and what are your second and third moves. You have to think ahead. Scary thought that all it would take is a crazy leader with these bombs to end the world.

        Reply
      93. Avatar
        Shaun Emerick on February 17, 2017 2:28 pm

        Yes we could have built more if our recourses had been put towards our infrastructure instead of our weapons programs. On the other hand the fact that numerous countries have built up their nuclear weapons have prevented anyone of them from launching the weapons.

        Reply
      94. Avatar
        Juan Rodriguez on February 17, 2017 8:22 pm

        It is sad to say, but balance or not use of nuclear weapons is base on both sides having them. All countries that have nuclear weapons know that if they use it, their enemy will use it on them. The fear should not be countries that have him, but the terrors groups that are trying to get them.

        Reply
      95. Avatar
        Mackenzie H on February 17, 2017 10:13 pm

        The world is becoming a much more dangerous place as the United States quickly fielded its own ICBMs.

        Reply
      96. Avatar
        Jeremiah Linden on February 17, 2017 10:38 pm

        Parents during the 1950’s would think Elvis Presley as an angel compared to the musicians of today. Elvis hip-shaking has nothing on the Red Hot Chili Peppers sock over the private region.

        Reply
      97. Avatar
        Jared Good on February 18, 2017 9:35 am

        I still think we all need to get rid of nukes and just worry about things to help our country .

        Reply
      98. Avatar
        Jeffrey Keenan on February 18, 2017 11:35 am

        NuclNuclear weapons are a horrible thing (In my opinion). These weapons give country’s the ability to totally eliminate enemy’s and kill millions of innocent civilians in the process. We need to get rid of all of these nuclear weapons.

        Reply
      99. Avatar
        Kacey Kovac on February 18, 2017 5:47 pm

        I had no idea that this issue was going on up until 1991! The thought that all of modern civilization can be blown off this earth within minutes just blows my mind.

        Reply
      100. Avatar
        John Milton on February 18, 2017 6:23 pm

        The thought of nuclear weapons destroying everyone and everything in minutes is gut-wrenching.

        Reply
      101. Avatar
        Michelle Ross on February 19, 2017 6:59 pm

        These sort of bombs seem just as scary as the atomic bombs that were talked about earlier. The damage that can be done is unwelcoming.

        Reply
      102. Avatar
        Shannon Smith on February 19, 2017 8:45 pm

        The last paragraph does make a good point that I have never thought about. What other ways could we have used all the money that we put into nuclear weapons? Possibly into education or medical advancedments.

        Reply
      103. Avatar
        Chelsey R Stillings on February 24, 2017 9:49 am

        Another nuclear article that makes me sick to my stomach.

        Reply
      104. Avatar
        Michael Tovissi on April 12, 2017 12:06 pm

        I’m just glad that neither side attacked first or launched a nuke at one another. The world would’ve ended for sure.

        Reply
      105. Avatar
        Angela Kessinger on April 16, 2017 3:55 pm

        I read about this type of bomb and think about the devastation this could cause. I hope that I never see this type of devastation in my lifetime and I hope my children and grandchildren never have to encounter them either.

        Reply
      106. Avatar
        Misty Prosser on April 16, 2017 10:23 pm

        Thinking of the mass destruction that could happen due to this nuclear weapon is devastating. I pray to god that no country will feel a threat so severe that they think this bomb is the only option.

        Reply
      107. Avatar
        Adrian Lewers on April 18, 2017 7:52 pm

        When thinking about time and resources wasted it is easy to think of many other useful things could have been made or put into practice or even having the national debt paid down.

        Reply
      108. Avatar
        Tiffany on April 18, 2017 8:54 pm

        I can’t imagine why anyone would find this as a necessary bomb to have especially when others have one as well. What is there to prove by having it?

        Reply
      109. Avatar
        Kyle Gelenius on April 18, 2017 9:36 pm

        Nuclear destruction is still of grave concern today, especially with tensions escalating between our country and North Korea. No one wins in a nuclear war. Moreover, I totally agree with the author’s premise that money spent on nuclear weapons systems could be better spent on more important issues, such as education and healthcare.

        Reply
      110. Avatar
        Michelle on April 21, 2017 7:37 pm

        The threat of nuclear war is upon us greatly these days, issues have heating up with Russia, Syria, and North Korea. It is too bad we can’t find a way to fund a program to denuclearize the world. It is only a matter of time before one country or another pops one off. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the United States, the way we have been reacting to issues that we have no business policing.

        Reply
      111. Avatar
        Nakia Bridges on April 24, 2017 11:54 am

        Nukes are dangerous and needs to get rid of them as if ever used these could cause some serious devastation.

        Reply
      112. Avatar
        Payton Brown on April 25, 2017 1:05 pm

        I truly hope that we never have to face a nuclear war. That is a war no one will win.

        Reply
      113. Avatar
        Amanda Miller on April 27, 2017 9:03 pm

        That’s what concerns me the most if we ever have to go to battle with another country that something like this would happen.

        Reply
      114. Avatar
        MIA on April 28, 2017 11:26 am

        I really hope we don’t ever have to experience a nuclear war… but the US seems to bully other countries and we don’t know how to mind our business in my opinion.

        Reply

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