World War II brought about various achievements in technology and science. One of these achievements was the invention of nuclear weapons, one which would come to permanently alter global politics, military planning, and financial planning. From its invention until today, it has been one of the most valued assets a nation could possess, giving it the defensive means to ward off potential invaders, the offensive capability to defeat any non-nuclear nation, and the power to smite even the largest city from the face of the Earth. Nuclear weapons, for better or for worse, would forever change society. .
On July 16, 1945, a power never before witnessed by human eyes was unleashed onto the earth. Near Alamogordo, New Mexico, "The Gadget," a nuclear weapon with an explosive force equal to that of around twenty kilotons of TNT, was detonated, beginning the "Atomic Age." J. Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Manhattan Project, a joint effort by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada which led the nuclear research project, stated afterward, "Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds," a quote taken from the Bhagavad Gita. Less than a month later, on August 6, 1945, a similar weapon was detonated over Hiroshima, Japan, instantly killing around 70,000 people, thus proving the power of such a weapon to the world. Then President Harry Truman soon after made a statement, in which we warned Japan to "expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth." As World War 2 drew to a close, countries around the world realized the power that nuclear weapons possess. .
The ways in which nuclear weapons changed everyday life was most clearly seen during the Cold War. The Cold War, which began shortly after the end of World War 2, saw the greatest displays of nuclear power in the history of the world. Out of fear of future use of these weapons, some suggested that the United Nations take control of nuclear weapons.
