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Nuclear Weaponry

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Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD)

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Design: See 'Dirty Bomb', Effect: See 'Dirty Bomb', Historical Context: See 'Dirty Bomb'

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Strategic Bomber

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Design: Long-range aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target, Effect: Capable of delivering nuclear weapons in addition to conventional bombs, Historical Context: Became a key part of nuclear force structure during the Cold War

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START Treaties

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Design: Strategic Arms Reduction Talks resulting in treaties between the United States and Soviet Union/Russia, Effect: Aimed to reduce and limit strategic offensive arms, Historical Context: Important steps in arms control during and after the Cold War

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Operation Ivy

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Design: Series of nuclear tests by the United States in 1952 at the Enewetak Atoll, Effect: Included testing of the first hydrogen bomb (Ivy Mike), Historical Context: Significant step in thermonuclear weapon development

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EMP Effects

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Design: Nuclear detonation causing an electromagnetic pulse, Effect: Can damage or disable electronic equipment over a large area, Historical Context: First observed during high-altitude nuclear tests in 1962 (Starfish Prime)

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Nuclear Triad

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Design: Three-pronged military force structure of submarines, strategic bombers, and ICBMs, Effect: Ensures second-strike capability, Historical Context: Developed by nuclear-armed states to deter nuclear strikes by making retaliation inevitable

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Little Boy

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Design: Gun-type uranium-235 device, Effect: Approximately 15 kilotons of TNT, Historical Context: Dropped on Hiroshima, 1945

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Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM)

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Design: Ballistic missiles launched from submarines, Effect: Provides stealth and survivability for a sea-based nuclear deterrent, Historical Context: Became integral to the nuclear triad of superpowers during the Cold War

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B61 Nuclear Bomb

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Design: Versatile variable-yield gravity bomb, Effect: Yield can be adjusted before launch, ranging from tactical to strategic, Historical Context: Part of the United States' enduring air-dropped arsenal, designed during the Cold War

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Fallout

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Design: Not a weapon, but the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, Effect: Fallout can spread over large areas, causing environmental contamination and health risks, Historical Context: Serious concern during the testing of atmospheric nuclear weapons

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Boosted Fission Weapon

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Design: Incorporates fusion fuel to increase efficiency of fission, Effect: Higher yield than pure fission bomb without significantly larger size, Historical Context: Developed to make more efficient use of fissile material

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Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)

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Design: Long-range missiles with a range greater than 5,500 km, Effect: Can deliver nuclear warheads rapidly across continents, Historical Context: Became a key part of the nuclear arsenal during the Cold War

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Radiation Sickness

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Design: Not a weapon, but a consequence of exposure to high levels of ionizing radiation, Effect: Symptoms can range from nausea and vomiting to DNA damage and death, depending on exposure levels, Historical Context: Observed after atomic bombings and nuclear accidents like Chernobyl

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Castle Bravo

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Design: Early American thermonuclear test, Effect: Yield of 15 megatons, significantly higher than expected, causing extensive contamination, Historical Context: Largest nuclear test conducted by the United States (1954)

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Thermonuclear Bomb

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Design: Uses fusion to enhance fission, often called a hydrogen bomb, Effect: Yield can range from hundreds of kilotons to megatons of TNT, Historical Context: First tested by the United States in 1952 (Ivy Mike)

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Nuclear Winter

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Design: Not a weapon, but a theoretical climatic effect of nuclear war, Effect: Significant cooling and darkening of Earth's surface due to soot in the atmosphere, Historical Context: Concept became popular in the 1980s as a subject of study of nuclear war's potential impact on climate

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ICBM Silos

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Design: Underground, vertical cylindrical container for the storage and launching of ICBMs, Effect: Protective launch facilities designed to withstand enemy attacks, Historical Context: Constructed during the Cold War as a part of strategies to ensure second-strike capability

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Nuclear Deterrence

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Design: Not a weapon but a security concept, Effect: The threat of using strong weapons against the enemy prevents the enemy's use of those same weapons, Historical Context: Fundamental to Cold War strategy between nuclear-armed states

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Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

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Design: Not a weapon but a doctrine, Effect: Theory that nuclear war is prevented by the certainty of total destruction of both the attacker and the defender, Historical Context: A key concept during the Cold War era

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Davy Crockett Weapon System

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Design: Lightweight, man-portable tactical nuclear recoilless gun, Effect: Very low yield, intended for battlefield use, Historical Context: Deployed by the United States during the Cold War but never used in combat

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Nuclear Fusion

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Design: Combining of light atomic nuclei into a heavier one, Effect: Releases even more energy per unit mass than fission,

E=mc2E = mc^2
, Historical Context: Fusion is the reaction that powers the sun and thermonuclear weapons

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Tritium Deuterium Boosting

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Design: Method to increase efficiency and yield of fission bombs, Effect: Allows for variable yield, Historical Context: Tritium and deuterium are both hydrogen isotopes used in boosting

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Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

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Design: Not a weapon but an international treaty, Effect: Aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and technology, Promotes cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, Historical Context: Opened for signature in 1968

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Dirty Bomb

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Design: Conventional explosives combined with radioactive material, Effect: Designed to spread radiation rather than a large explosion, Historical Context: Concerns over dirty bombs increased in the context of terrorism fears

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Fat Man

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Design: Plutonium implosion-type bomb, Effect: Approximately 21 kilotons of TNT, Historical Context: Dropped on Nagasaki, 1945

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Nuclear Fission

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Design: Splitting of heavy atomic nuclei into smaller ones, Effect: Releases a significant amount of energy and neutrons,

E=mc2E = mc^2
, Historical Context: Discovery of fission led to development of atomic bombs

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Tsar Bomba

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Design: The most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated, AN602 hydrogen bomb, Effect: Yield of 50 megatons of TNT, Historical Context: Tested by the Soviet Union in 1961

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W87 Nuclear Warhead

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Design: Warhead designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Effect: Approximately 300 kiloton yield, Historical Context: Developed and deployed by the United States during the 1980s

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Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV)

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Design: A ballistic missile payload containing several warheads, each capable of being aimed at a different target, Effect: Allows a single missile to strike multiple targets, complicates missile defense efforts, Historical Context: Became operational in the 1960s and was a factor in Cold War arms race

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Neutron Bomb

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Design: Enhanced radiation weapon with a focus on neutron release, Effect: Less blast and heat but more radiation, specifically neutrons, Historical Context: Developed during the Cold War to minimize structural damage but increase biological lethality

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