In the 1950s, the arms race for nuclear weapons was intensifying. The United States had already used several bombs on such places such as Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the USSR was close behind in their development. The U.S. had officially set up their test site on the Nevada Test Site. They were also using the Marshall Islands as another test site.
The Nevada Test Site is located 65 miles from Las Vegas. It was established on January 11, 1951 and measures about 1,350 square miles. The first test at this site was on January 27, 1951. The mushroom clouds could be seen from Las Vegas, which proved to be a big tourist attraction.
On January 31, 1950, Truman declared the United States Atomic Energy Commission would begin constructing a hydrogen bomb.
The first Soviet breakthrough did not come until 1953.
The first British atomic bomb detonated on October 3, 1952.
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