This Astounding Interactive Map Shows Every Nuclear Detonation In History
Map makers have put together an incredible interactive online map that shows every single nuclear detonation across the globe from 1945 until the present day.
On 16 July 1945, the U.S. army carried out the first nuclear explosion as part of the famous Manhattan Project.
Codenamed ‘Trinity’, the test was carried out in the Jornada del Muerto desert in New Mexico on what is now part of the White Sands Missile Range.
The detonation of the bomb kicked off an aggressive nuclear arms race and in August 1945, the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cites of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing nearly a quarter of a million people in total.
While these are the only nuclear devices to have been detonated in combat, hundreds of further tests have been carried out by various nations.
The map shows every nuclear detonation up until this year (Esri UK)
The interactive map was compiled by British mapping brand Esri UK and plots all of the nuclear locations while a progress bar that runs from 1945 until the present day.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the busiest time for detonations is during the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Clicking on each icon fires up a pop-up window with more information about that particular location and detonation.
The map doesn’t give the total number of explosions, but the figure is thought to be more than 2,400.
Via: Science Alert
Image credit: Esri UK
