Let's Get Nostalgic About Nukes For One Terrifying Moment

In the wake of the historic Iran nuclear deal, finally reached only hours ago, we bring you these videos of just how horrifically destructive an atomic bomb can be, in case you had forgotten exactly what was being debated.

Here’s restored, HD footage of the 1953 Atomic Cannon test. Watch the fireball grow, then pop, enveloping the tiny trucks and tanks and jeeps scattered below. Watch in 1080p for the greatest effect, and imagine what it would be like now that modern nuclear bombs are around a thousand times more powerful.

Here’s a money shot of Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear device ever tested, back in 1961. Visible from 600 miles away, the Soviet bomb carried the explosive power of 50 million tons of dynamite, which is actually half of their originally planned capacity.

There are around 15,700 nuclear warheads in the world right now, with most controlled by the United States or Russia, and that's not including the 11 that we somehow managed to misplace. Here’s hoping Iran and their now slightly hobbled nuclear ability will, as our President seems to hope, become our friends and not foes. Then again, when it comes to nuclear weapons, we may be our own worst enemies.

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James Joiner

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