"54%..."
"54% of the US's deterrent nuclear weapons are on board nuclear powered submarines capable of prowling the ocean for 70 days at a time, their exact locations known only to their crews. Their mission is to remain hidden so as to assure second strike retaliatory capability."
penny_can
And they are typically commissioned with enough uranium to power them for 20 to 30 years. They can be resupplied at sea for various crew requirements if really necessary.
"Don't use conditioner..."
"Don’t use conditioner in your hair in the wake of nuclear particles. It’ll bind the radioactive material to the hair shaft."
DubiousAxolott
So you're telling me I have to face the aftermath of a nuclear detonation AND have dry hair?!
"Before the first one..."
"Before the first one was detonated, there was some concern that runaway nuclear fission reactions would continue as a result of the bomb, until the Earth's atmosphere was destroyed completely. This was found to be 'unlikely' before the first bomb was tested."
Anticyclonic_Comrade
So what you're telling me is that they just said, "F*ck it, just try it."
"The Castle Bravo test..."
"The Castle Bravo test ended up being WAY bigger than the scientists predicted. The video is on youtube and it's crazy."
Deimi_05gs
It also wrecked a lot of equipment and buildings it wasn’t supposed to! Its fallout heavily irradiated a Japanese fishing vessel, which was quite "uncomfortable" in a diplomatic sense.
"There's a website..."
"There's a website where you can superimpose a nuclear blast over various cities. Helps give perspective on the scale of the blast."
https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
Thirty_Helens_Agree
Really puts it in perspective when you see the size of one on your hometown!
"During the Cold War, for the U.S. alone, 32 nuclear weapons were lost due to accidents, six of which were never recovered."
johndenverspilot
Nice to know they're just chilling out somewhere. So reassuring.
"That thermonuclear devices..."
"That thermonuclear devices consist of a primary fission in the 5kt range that starts fusion in the secondary by means of focusing the xray burst into heating the secondary material. The shape of the xray lens is classified and if you were a physics student and you wrote a paper describing how to do it, it instantly became classified as well."
Carorack
Damn, imagine spending so much time figuring out how to make it only for the government to classify it!
"Depending on how high..."
"Depending on how high the fallout is it can be blown around the Earth by winds affecting everybody."
Kittem85
Freaky, huh? Again, sooo reassuring.
"Fun fact..."
"Fun fact: if one can intercept a nuclear missile the odds of a nuclear explosion is extremely low."
Badjib
Unfortunately, the odds of successful interception are also rather low.
"Once the chain reaction..."
"Once the chain reaction with the uranium is initiated, neutrons bounce around inside the device triggering more atoms to release their energy. Early designs exploded before much of the nuclear material had even been triggered, leading to wasted uranium and smaller explosions."
"The most effective designs contain this chain reaction for as long as possible like a pressure cooker to maximize the size of the explosion."
KnowsHair
Another fun fact: They used beryllium around the nuclear material to reflect the neutrons back into the material. It was called a tamper.
Hopefully you've come away from this a little more knowledgable about nuclear weapons, and it's worth checking out more authoritative sources!
Have some more facts of your own to share? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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History Buffs Share The Best Stories Not Found In Textbooks
History as taught by textbooks SUCKS. But think about it, you're fully aware that awesome and hilarious stuff is happening every day. That's nothing new. History is full of characters that, if they existed today, would have the biggest Twitter following and at least 3 reality shows.
Take La Mapin, for example. She was a cross-dressing, sword-fighting, opera singer who killed at least ten men in duels and snuck into convents to hook up with the nuns. Yeah, we'd have read the HELL out of the French Revolution chapter in our history textbooks if it included that info!
One Reddit user asked:
History buffs of Reddit, what is one of the most fascinating stories you've learned that no one seems to talk about and can't be found in textbooks?
We grabbed some of our favorite responses - and now we're kind of mad, honestly. We spent years thinking history was boring! Turns out nope, it's not. Our textbooks just didn't want us knowing how scandalously awesome our ancestors could be.
H/T: Reddit