The vast majority of these detonations occurred after the US, UK and USSR signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963, which permitted only underground detonations. Ideally, underground detonations don't release radioactive material into the wider environment, but there were of course failures to contain along the way.
Previously on HN...
Nuclear Explosions since 1942 (map) (datavis.tumblr.com) 3 points by transburgh 4 years ago | 1 comments | cached
Animated History of Nuclear Explosions (ctbto.org) 2 points by brianmckenzie 3 years ago | 0 comments | cached
Animated map of nuclear explosions, 1945-1998 (pinktentacle.com) 58 points by gnosis 3 years ago | 26 comments | cached
Site appears to be down. Here is the Google Cache link:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Nt4zfUy...
The number of tests is not what bothers me. The number of times we have had accidents is what does. Thankfully, none has ever resulted in accidental detonation- but this involved a lot of luck.
Eric Schlosser's book Command and Control, which just came out this year is a pretty comprehensive treatment of every accident the US has ever had, from decades of filing Freedom of Information reports. I'm halfway through it right now, it's pretty chilling.
Book: http://www.amazon.com/Command-Control-Damascus-Accident-Illu...
NYT review: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/books/review/command-and-c...
Why am i not suprised america has the most explosions, and still they try to ban other countries from producing nuclear fuel. The future generations will probably like the fallout on us soil. Congrats, this is a wondefull vid.
Deeply unsettling? Because they did 2k tests over a period of half a century?
Description of artist and the video http://www.ctbto.org/specials/1945-1998-by-isao-hashimoto/
Reminds me of "Rise Of The HFT Machine":
"Error establishing a database connection" :(
The brits tested a bomb on U.S. soil?
I, for one, am not deeply unsettled by nuclear weapons.
As weapons of peace, they have made war a strongly negative sum game between advanced nations. The only way to win is not to play.
The drawback of nuclear weapons isn't the actual threat or consequences of war, but using the nature of the game by a government to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt amongst its own people to consolidate power. That, in itself, is not a problem with the weapon, but with the lack of enlightenment amongst the people and their government.