The Ultimate Guide to Nuclear Weapons

What kind of demon lives inside the smallest constituent of matter, one that allowed a grapefruit sized sphere of radioactive metal to annihilate the city of Nagasaki? How could a bomb that weighed 29 tons explode with the power of 50 million tons of TNT? Nuclear weapons are, in many ways, the defining feature of the current technological epoch. They have given humanity enormous destructive power. Indeed, the ability to commit autogenocide. For better or worse, we all live in the nuclear age. The atom bomb, the hydrogen bomb, the neutron bomb, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about nuclear weapons, from the fundamental physics to nuclear weapon design to nuclear war theory. This is my ultimate guide to Nuclear weapons.
0:00 Trinity and the Fundamentals of Matter and Energy
12:40 The Atom Bomb
29:26 The Hydrogen Bomb
48:21 Tactical Nuclear Weapons
59:12 Strategic Nuclear Weapons and the Nuclear Triad
1:06:32 The Mechanics of a Nuclear Detonation
1:13:59 Blast Effects
1:19:04 Thermal Effects
1:20:55 Initial Radiation and the Neutron Bomb
1:29:06 Residual Radiation and Fallout
1:35:52 Combined Nuclear Effects on a City
Essential further reading:
"The Effects of Nuclear Weapons" United States Department of Defence
www.deepspace.ucsb.edu/wp-con...

[@hypohystericalhistory8133]

Guys this is a re-upload. After nearly 2 years and 2 million views KZbin's algorithm decided that showing a hand igniting a pile of gunpower was displaying a dangerous act, like making an explosive, and so they killed the video. I tried to appeal it but a human agreed with the AI. I hate uploading old stuff but this was some of my most popular work, so I didn't want to waste it. My apologies if you lost a comment or an interesting thread but there was literally nothing I could do about it. Rest assured I'm working on some new content at the moment!

[@FOXHOUNDProductions91]

THANK YOU FOR THE REUPLOAD!!! LONG LIVE HISTORY!!!

[@AquaAdventuresTTV]

I appreciate the re-upload. This is one of your most compelling and informative pieces of content and I know I've recommended it to many people. It's certainly not your fault you've had to re-upload "old stuff" and I, along with many others, wont judge you negatively for it. Thank you for creating this documentary in the first place.

[@alloy299]

Much appreciated!

[@smokenotes7655]

Yeah Styropyro was on a panel recently where they mentioned how ridiculous that is, like making a laser that could literally fry your eyes out or a gas that's deadly with a single breath is fine, but fire and explosives are instantly nuked off the site, no pun intended. I was missing this video as it's one of my favourites, thank you for the re-up!

[@oopsiesh]

so glad. One of the best videos on the topic.

[@FOXHOUNDProductions91]

I'm so glad this has been reuploaded. Thank you for the history.

[@thelvadam2884]

do you know why the original has been taken down ?

[@FOXHOUNDProductions91]

@@thelvadam2884 No, but I was sad when it was taken down because I used to watch it often. It was the first video I ever watched from this channel, and in my opinion, his best video.

[@thelvadam2884]

@@FOXHOUNDProductions91 ohh okay i see. Same here i found him aswell via that and its still my fav ! and i am lowkey obsessed with nukes so it was a dream come true finding this!

[@LukeBunyip]

@@thelvadam2884 "...KZbin's algorithm decided that showing a hand igniting a pile of gunpower was displaying a dangerous act, like making an explosive, and so they killed the video. "

[@benjammin9745]

Whenever something is removed your safe in assuming it was youtube policy. Free speech and thought is consistently under attack. There is a case currently in the Supreme court regarding gov't (biden's) censorship on social media. I have conflicting notions. On one hand free speech should be protected as the highest priority under a liberal democracy. On the other hand people are stupid and misinformation abounds. There is one primary and unassailable issue with the gov't censorship side. The gov't are only people, too. People shouldn't be able to control what other people say and think. That is the definition of authoritarianism. Classic liberalism is consistently under attack as well. Even by people who call themselves 'liberals'. Which makes zero sense. Changing and shifting the definition of words is a slick, underhanded, and covert way of confusing and programming a populace. The revolution having previously failed on its own merits uses covert, underhanded, and insidious means of furthering its goals. Demoralized and radicalized, you shall be.

[@MBBurchette]

The original is how I found this channel. Definitely worth another viewing!

[@yaki_ebiko]

17:44 I was told any nuclear program NEEDS constant maintainence and refurbishment but no one ever answered WHY. You are my hero.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

Additionally tritium has around a decade of half-life, much like night sights lose brightness over the years, you lose the tritium in a thermonuclear device. Normal corrosion itself also affects the core. Plutonium is a metal and it oxidizes.

[@Combatant5]

​@@ChucksSEADnDEADcorrosion is less of an issue. The pits are nickel-plated.

[@edwardharshberger1]

Me giving my expired nukes the sniff check

[@dickwellington8578]

@@edwardharshberger1if you shake it and it starts getting warm you’re good to go

[@NorbertKasko]

​@@Combatant5They are gold plated now. It's better against corrosion. (Just a very thin layer of gold)

[@Indrid__Cold]

This video could be the basis of a graduate level course on the topic. I have been studying the history and science of nuclear weapons for about fifty years (ever since I came across an NSF report titled "The Long Term Effects of Multiple Nuclear Weapon detonations) This is by far the most thoroughly researched, scientifically accurate presentation on this topic. My sincerest compliments!

[@grahamfisher5436]

Google- The flowers nuclear report

[@Martingray7875]

If you've been "studying" this topic and found this video to be the most comprehensive explanation you've come across, then you're not really studying it.

[@Indrid__Cold]

@@Martingray7875 Alternatives?

[@miamijules2149]

Lol You think this is good….? Go check out his Cruise Missile video.; It can easily be a course taught at a military academy anywhere on Earth.

[@-danR]

@@Martingray7875 Five minutes in and seeing one error after another, some of them elementary: 4:46 "This process converts all of the solid to a gas." No it doesn't, and the previously shown chemical equation itself shows that it doesn't, and any kid who ever made black powder knows that it doesn't. This is the sort of video I give up on, and it's a pity. With the increase of TTS robot narrators and AI-gathering of stills, video-clips, and text-generation, it's refreshing to hear actual people. I just want them to know their stuff.

[@snappycattimesten]

I clicked just to get back on the watch list.

[@shaneperreault]

Welcome to the party, pal.

[@pinnitt]

Now we know that’s real due to the latest subpoena. Thanks a lot FBI

[@MDE_never_dies]

Same

[@colinstewart1432]

Makes going through customs so much more interesting...🤔🤣

[@tomarmadiyer2698]

Japanese subways and Australian tool sheds. The accessible stuff is the scary stuff.

[@Michael974100]

Great to see this video back. How can one of the best researched and informative videos be taken down by YT considering the absolute other crap that populates much of the YT universe. Keep it up mate. Your vids are absolutely top class.

[@slooob23]

I'll tell you why, because he produced this excellent documentary independent of the big players and on his own dime. The 'system' doesn't reward people that play outside of it.

[@florinivan6907]

The thing about a fizzle is that it can still be devastating. If the expected yield was 500 kt but it only achieved 80 kt that's still more than enough to devastate a good sized portion of a major city. If say the target was an airbase just outside city limits that city is gonna have a bad day regardless. Fizzles matter from a military pov but from a societal pov any nuke that goes above 1 kt in heavily populated areas and above 100 kts in sparsely populated ones is gonna leave a large bodycount. If your goal in a nuke war is societal destruction fizzles aren't that big of a problem.

[@sir_vix]

Would there also be an increased spread of radioactive un-reacted (?) material?

[@RT-qd8yl]

@@sir_vix I think that would all be situation dependent

[@virtualtools_3021]

@@sir_vixthats more dependent on how close to the ground it is upon detonation

[@LibertyMonk]

There's a huge difference between "everyone in the city is dead within a week" and "half the city will die within a year or two, but thousands will die much sooner." There's also the idea that you could have made three (or more) times as many weapons with the same material instead of overbuilding a design that will likely fizzle, why destroy one city when you could instead destroy three, or destroy one and still hold the threat of destroying two more. Yes, a fizzle is still a nuclear explosion which is bad, but it's also enormously wasteful even compared to efficient nuclear weapons.

[@listek981]

​@@sir_vixnah, nukes still leave lots of unreacted material.

[@SomeGuyInSandy]

I watched it the first time... I'll watch it again!

[@firstlast9504]

YT is promoting this video again, conrats. The pictures in this report are amazing.

[@nudgeunit]

Hey it's back! My favorite video of yours.

[@SporkOfDestruction]

This channel's lack of subscribers is bordering on criminal, in my opinion. Excellent work, watched it again!

[@isaiahmitchell3311]

Dude thank you for re-uploading this! I've been wishing I could rewatch it for months and months now, and had no idea why it disappeared from your channel!

[@SigmaEOD]

Thank you so much for the re-upload. This video is one of my favorites, and I had been missing re-watching it. Keep up the great work!

[@Rangeofranges]

I’m so happy this is back. By far my favorite video you’ve ever made and the one that got me into your content. Incredibly well made and deserving of all the views it had

[@user-lj3uu2ri3x]

You haven’t released a video I haven’t gleefully watched at least twice. Your Amazing attention to historical/technical detail and clear, unbiased delivery is appreciated and needed

[@rapman5791]

There are support groups for that.

[@Andrew-27]

Thanks for re-uploading this, I thought it was gone for good.

[@JohnDoe-dg6vb]

So glad it's back. Probably one of the best videos on the subject out there.

[@user-gq9qh2kw6h]

Yes indeed!

[@danpatterson8009]

Excellent presentation. My father attended the A-bomb tests in Operation Crossroads in 1946. The Able test, an air burst, resulted in little radioactive contamination of the test vessels in the lagoon. The underwater Baker test constrained fission products in water droplets that fell back into the lagoon, resulting in far more contamination of the test vessels and the waters of the lagoon itself. Hulls and seawater systems of vessels that entered the lagoon following the test also became contaminated. This at a time when safety precautions and radiation monitoring procedures were not well established, and some servicemen entering the lagoon following Baker were quite unaware of the risks.

[@ShahjahanMasood]

I have downloaded this video and will Inshallah download the other videos later as well. You make excellent, excellent EXCELLENT content. No one has managed to deliver on topics with such professionalism and ease. It is a shame why certain videos get taken down.

[@zacharyharmon6317]

This is great, you had me hooked with the title and the length of the video. Thank you for going in depth. Take care my dude

[@kayayay9791]

Yes! Im so happy for the re-upload, this is one of my favorite videos on the whole net! Thank you!!

[@Acehalo2]

Thank you for reuploading this! This is the finest documentary made on the topic of nuclear weapons I have ever seen in my entire life. Densely packed with highly researched information and yet still explaining in layman's terms. This video is the gold standard that all others should be judged against.

[@demon_lover9139]

Welcome back, I've watched a few other good guides as well, its taking a while to really understand.

[@clown134]

by far one of the best and most detailed videos on this topic ive ever seen. subscribed, and great job

[@jj-eg5up]

Crazy. Such a good video. It sucks that there is a war on content that doesnt rot your brain

[@LethalJizzle]

Never saw the original, thanks for the reupload. This is gonna be fascinating.

[@lukebowers536]

Fantastic to see this back, it is without equal & one of the best most well researched video's on this topic out there & is esential viewing for those into all things nuclear.

[@randomm9683]

Great to see the re upload i was looking for this a while back and was thinkig i was crazy

[@richardcash869]

Definitely worth the rewatch mate! Thanks for all the work.

[@invertFNU]

Nice to see this back ❤ this got my intrest to deepdive into this subject alooooot. Thank you and keep up the good work 🙂

[@jimbolimbobimbo369]

This was the video YT recommended to me that ended upnserving as a gateway to the rest of your channel. Rewatching and commenting for the algo. Keep doing your thing

[@Mrdrcaptaintroy]

This was the video that got me watching the rest of your videos. So glad it's back.

[@noahswanigan9350]

Didnt know this was a reupload because 2 years ago idt Id found your channel at all yet, but ever since I did, top notch stuff through and through. If Im not awake watching it, nice long form vids like these also make for excellent night lights 🙂

[@Joseph-fw6xx]

It's amazing the power that's inside an atom something so small we can't even see it man's discovery of this subatomic particle is brilliant

[@aussie_mantis3507]

MY MAN RETURNED- albeit with an older video, but HE RETURNED!

[@hello-rq8kf]

fantastic vid ❤ and thank you for not putting background music, i put these vids on while studying and practicing guitar so it helped a lot

[@hughjanis7418]

One of my favorite documentaries ❤ glad to have it back

[@ebr8]

Listening to this (again) while cooking. Thanks for the re-upload.

[@indeedbridge8954]

❤❤ hooray! Its a belated birthday gift, thank you for re uploading.

[@stokedfool]

Absolutely crucial knowledge; watched the 1h42m video straight through. Excellent content.

[@hitzfeld12]

I was looking for this for months! Thank you

[@llahneb10]

Excellent video, quality is top-notch!

[@WEBBERSPADE]

Mate, i must say you are incredibly talented. I have watched most of your videos. Its so thorough each one. If i could say anything, the more generic and famous explanations are great (as its details of things we know, but don't know in depth). Things like the history of rifles/guns in the military. Or maybe just the ak47?? Or something like more famous aircraft. Like the F-16? Or the submarine and torpedoes? Or military drones? The general things we all know. Hope you don't mind putting my thoughts out there, I'm just a really big fan and looking forward to your future work.

[@aquilarossa5191]

A bomb like Little Boy seems quite simple to make - for a good mechanical engineer who has enough of the U235 fissile material. Just as well it's so difficult to produce the U235, let alone the plutonium and shaped charges required for a Fat Man type bomb. A lot of reactors in places like the USA exist for more than just producing electricity. Many of them are dual use, because they also produce the plutonium for nukes, so when people pay their power bill, they are kind of helping produce the nukes. I understand why some countries have nuclear stuff. I like it that NZ does not though. There's nothing here that would go into nuclear meltdown from a tsunami or earthquake, plus there's nothing here somebody would waste a nuke on, unless they really hate the All Blacks, or LOTR and hobbits, etc. Strategic nukes in ICBM warheads are pre-programmed with a target set, so lots of places in the world constantly have very powerful thermonuclear warheads aimed at them, e.g., airbases, navy bases, army bases, munitions stores, power stations, command bunkers, comms, etc. I am from NZ, but grew up in England during the Cold War. We were close to a base that hosted lots of US tactical nuclear bombers. We knew it would be nuked within about 15 minutes of the war kicking off. We talked at school about what yield of nuke would put us in blast range etc. We all had our ideas where we would take cover. Moving back to NZ when I was 15 felt so much safer. It literally felt safer, i.e., not having that nuclear threat hanging over us 24/7. More relaxed or something. P.S. The Americans have still not properly cleaned up their atomic mess at the Pacific proving grounds. There is a big concrete dome with nuclear waste buried under it there that's leaking into the ocean, plus many of the atolls are still too irradiated to inhabit. They have a big enough economy to [maybe] afford to have a $34 trillion national debt, so I do not see why after around six decades they still can not scrape together enough coin to clean up their mess. I guess they consider the radioactive waste to be swept under the carpet far enough from the USA to be out of sight and out of mind. Maybe the Marshall islanders are not enough of a concern to Uncle Sam.

[@buddyrojek9417]

Don’t worry too much. Chernobyl is a nature reserve now and is so diverse with extinct species found again. So the atoll will be ok . Without people

[@TheBleggh]

US nuclear power reactors are not dual-use. Their refueling cycles are far too long to produce the ideal isotopic composition for nuclear weapons, and therefore it's uneconomic to extract weapons material from their spent nuclear fuel, which is why it's not done.

[@llahneb10]

Almost 100k subscribers, pre-congrats!!

[@cryhavocandletslipthedogso1873]

Thank you so much for re-uploading it, tracking down a mirror for it was such a pain in the ass

[@kylereiley4447]

Thank you for reuploading. Best video on the subject I have ever seen and i know a thing or two about a thing or two

[@jasoncooper1593]

Thanks for re-uploading, man. Your content is awesome and well-deserving of another comment and a like. Screw those guys.

[@graemev6799]

A brilliantly researched and narrated documentary on the evolution of nuclear weapons.

[@IrishCaesar]

Thank God this is back. I've been desperate for it for months

[@hypercomms2001]

thank you for this, as it contains the detailed physical and engineering aspects of these weapons that typically are glossed over by others. Clearly you have put a lot of effort into this.

[@wtflks]

This is the best vídeo on nuclear weapons I've ever seen! Congratulations,it's a wonderful documentary!

[@masonhoover165]

thanks for the reupload man i missed this video

[@davegoud]

Thank you for uploading this again....a few months ago I was trying to find it and couldn't believe it disappeared. IMHO this is the best nuclear documentary out there....and I have seen most of them....from Trinity...and beyond...pun intended :)

[@jimc.goodfellas226]

I thought I had seen this before... excellent work

[@robertrishel3685]

Nice to see this again, although I was initially very excited, thinking it was a new video😉.

[@dxs_nightwolff]

So detailed and on-point!

[@m.streicher8286]

This makes me immensely happy. Lots of people missed this video.

[@DeonardoLiCaprio]

Very well put together and equally terrifying

[@robertsimpson6324]

Thank you your stuff is top rate and I am always waiting for more but quality takes time

[@MrDoysh121]

Your channel is amazing. And I am going to watch this again.

[@sailorgibbens3301]

Thank you for the re upload. I love this and fall asleep regularly to it. I searched and search for this video and thought I was crazy, Or that it was lost forever.

[@TGMaker]

Thanks for reuploading. It would have been a shame if this was lost ❤

[@mikejames4648]

Well worth a watch, it makes a good technical companion to the famous "Trinity and Beyond, the Nuclear Movie" video.

[@TheWishPretzel]

Hell yeah, the first video that got me into this excellent channel has been reuploaded! Let's gooo

[@ahabkapitany]

thanks for the reupload, time to watch it again.

[@marcodelao9148]

ive been looking for this like crazy!!!

[@rogerbeck3018]

i did not expect to be adhered to my seat, but i was. Very good, many thanks

[@bosox2318]

Superb work. Pls take this as an enthusiastic vote for an ultimate guide to the history & development of the torpedo.

[@benjamintherogue2421]

Oh, nice. I'm glad to see this come back.

[@SpaceThieff]

I want to take a moment to express my admiration for your scientific videos, which have a calming, informative effect on me. I am particularly fond of your previous dissections of the atomic theory, which I find highly engaging and informative. I strongly appreciate your voice; that Aussie narration in the video creates a sort of exotic intimacy, which adds to my enjoyment of the content. Additionally, I am grateful for your videos on the Pacific military operations, which were fascinating. I think your style is outstanding with the quality of the videos, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to watch them for free. Thank you for making these videos while naturally making the very most informative pieces about these amazing underlying subjects.

[@Chirsstimson]

WHAT A SAPP ! THIS SITE IS RUN BY WOKE COMMIES ! FUCK HEADS . GO X !!!!

[@VainerCactus0]

Glad to see this back.

[@droidnick]

Sweet video! Thanks!!

[@Prepperpod]

Still one of the best vids on the tube!❤

[@inoculateinoculate9486]

It's back!!! I've never been so excited to see a history lesson about nuclear weapons, one which I have already watched at least 6 times. I am waiting for your final Iraq War installment like it's Christmas, btw.

[@daveanderson718]

Very informative and through details, impressive.

[@HappyBear376]

I got very interested in radiochemistry at uni' this is a cracking video thank you.

[@sabram24]

I watched this first time. This is great stuff.

[@amitchakraborty1757]

Beatufully narrated, highly informative video. Learnt a lot, enjoyed the learning. Thank you very much for such great work.

[@thelvadam2884]

ohh finally ! its back ! my favorite Video !

[@trencher4570]

heres some free engagement, thank you for the reupload

[@thomaskline5164]

Nice Work. I took many Courses in NBC when I serverd in the USMC.

[@Les537]

Thanks. Quality content.

[@lordquintus1419]

All good mate on the reupload, understandable with KZbin being itself. Id love to see a collab with you and perun

[@jetpoweredtricycle]

glad to see it's back

[@joncooperworks]

So glad this video is back

[@TheMagus54]

Guy your narration is straight up golden! Thank you for the great line up of Australian perspective WW2 historical Australian transcripts within the videos! 🇦🇺

[@scottessery100]

This is a brilliant recap/summary far better than an A level teacher or uni lecturer I had 😊👍🏽

[@SpiritOfMontgomery]

It’s back!

[@PLAYER2035]

Looking forward to seeing an update video on the AUKUS program sometime in the near future

[@symungous]

The best explained and most comprehensive compilation of Nuclear Weapons history on the platform.. period. Thank you for re-uploading ❤

[@benchapple1583]

What a fantastic video. Thank you very much.

[@MalachiWhite-tw7hl]

Aptly named video. This is the best on the subject I've yet seen.

[@terranhealer]

Very fascinating and professional looking presentation!

[@kimjongun2081]

Thank you for the totourial

[@kanzeon7729]

Third time I'm watching this now and it only gets better

[@randomperson1418]

Thanks for the tutorial

[@andrewjack31]

This video is amazing. Thank you.

[@omfgbobsaget]

Very informative, great video