January 24, 2013

On March 17, 1953, the U.S. military detonated an experimental nuclear weapons test. This test, part of Operation Upshot-Knothole, was designed to calm public fears about such weapons. The raw footage of this test was recently discovered. What does a nuclear weapons test sound like? What was the Operation Upshot-Knothole Nuclear Weapons Test? Operation Upshot…

March 25, 2012

Next time you’re on the highway, look out…you just might find yourself driving next to a truck bearing a nuclear warhead. Nuclear Weapons…on American Streets? Here’s more on nuclear weapons being carried on American streets from Mother Jones: “Is that it?” My wife leans forward in the passenger seat of our sensible hatchback and points…

December 6, 2011

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union wielded enormous arsenals of nuclear weapons. Citizens of the world lived in fear that the conflict would someday heat up, resulting in a devastating nuclear war that would destroy the world. Into this confusion and terror stepped the RAND Corporation and a team of…

November 9, 2011

On August 6, 1945, the United States of America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, it dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki. These bombs remain the only two nuclear devices ever deployed during war and, according to many experts, decisive reasons for Japans’ subsequent surrender on August 15. But a substantial…

November 8, 2011

In 1964, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory conducted a top-secret experiment with enormous global ramifications. The project remained classified until 2003 when heavily-excised documents were finally released to the public. What was the Nth Country Experiment? The Chaos Book Club Today is Day 16 of the Chaos book club. Chaos is an adventure thriller along the lines of Indiana Jones or…

November 5, 2011

Around 1977, a strange, exotic material known as Red Mercury appeared on the international black market. Shrouded in mystery and highly desired by buyers, it caused an uproar across the globe. Just what was Red Mercury? The Chaos Book Club Today is Day 13 of the Chaos book club. Chaos is an adventure thriller along the lines of Indiana Jones…

November 3, 2011

During World War II, Nazi Germany worked on an astounding array of futuristic weapons including heat-seeking missiles, a gigantic 1,000 pound tank, a stealth fighter, and an acoustic cannon. But perhaps the most spectacular and mysterious Nazi super weapon of all was known as die Glocke. The Chaos Book Club Today is Day 11 of the Chaos book…

September 20, 2011

On July 4, 1974, the Hughes Glomar Explorer, a deep-sea drillship vessel, dropped anchor in the Pacific Ocean. Its stated purpose was to mine the sea floor for manganese nodules. However, that was just a cover. Its real purpose was far more ambitious…nothing less than the salvage of a lost Soviet nuclear submarine known as K-129….