Arms Race Flashcards
Learning about the race to space between Russia and the USA
What happened in 1945
USA drops atomics bomb on Japanies cities, Horishima and Nagaski.
What happened in 1949
The USSR’s first successful atomic bomb testing ending USA’s nuclear monopoly.
What happened in 1950
The UK carries out nuclear tests in Western Australia.
What happened in 1952
The USA successfully tests the first Hydrogen bomb, 2500 times more powerful than the atomic bomb
What happened in 1953
The USSR tests its own Hydrogen bomb.
What happened in 1955
The USA publishes its Doctrine of Massive Retaliation stating that any attack on the USA or its allies would be met with incredible destructive force
What happened in 1957
In order to launch the satellite Sputnik I, the USSR had developed a rocket. The same rocket was capable of carrying an atomic warhead for thousands of miles. This meant the USSR had created the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
What happened in 1958
The USA tests its on ICBM’s
What happened in 1961
The USSR detonates the Tsar Bomba, a nuclear bomb which produced the largest ever man-made explosion
What happened in 1962
The Cuban Missile Crisis – for 13 days the world stood on the edge of nuclear war
What happened in 1968
The USSR develops an Anti-Ballistic Missile system to shoot down in-bound US missiles
What hapoened in 1957
The USSR launches Sputnik 1 - the world’s first telecommunications satellite. Sputnik 2 was launched later that year and carried a small dog named Laika – the first living animal to go into orbit.
What happened in 1959
The USSR launches Luna 1 - the first man-made object to orbit the sun. The USA then sent Pioneer 4 to do a fly-past of the Moon, prompting the Soviets to launch Luna 2 at the moon.
What happened in 1968
The USA develops MIRV technology - allowing missile warheads to hit multiple targets from one missile
What happened in 1960
The USA launches Discovery XIV - the first satellite equipped with a spy camera.
