Nuclear weapons are one of the most powerful weapons available to humans in terms of energy released. So far in human history only two nuclear weapons have been used for warfare; detonated by the United States over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Manhattan Project was initiated during World War II with the intent of creating an atomic weapon for the United States. Today's nuclear weapons are over 200 times more powerful. Nuclear weapons are the only weapons of mass destruction that are not blocked by international treaties. However, it is still considered a weapon of mass destruction due to its massive blast effect, radiation, and wreckage destruction potential. A single 1-megaton detonation would cause a 5,700-foot fireball with a shock wave traveling at about 784 mph. Heavily reinforced concrete buildings are torn to shreds; firestorms rage for hours after the detonation. For those who survive in the surrounding area, radiation poisoning begins. For decades, cancer, birth defects and other diseases will plague cities near the detonation. However, this is not even the worst that could happen. Most active nuclear weapons are larger than 1 megaton; the largest ever was 50 megatons. Furthermore, more than one bomb would most likely be dropped. Nuclear weapons use radioactive substances for their warheads. Radioactive substances are made up of unstable radioactive atoms. Radioactivity occurs because all atoms try to become stable. Unstable atoms will “decay” until they are stable. If an unstable atom decays, it is said to be radioactive. The amount of time it takes for half of an atom's nuclei to become stable is called that element's half-life. Uranium-238 (the element most often used in nuclear weapons) has a half-life of 4.5 billion years. There are three types of...... middle of paper ...... of the longest wars that almost brought the whole world to destruction. Today we recognize the horrific effects that nuclear war would cause and are attempting to ban them internationally; similar to how biological and chemical weapons (the other types of weapons of mass destruction) were banned. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, as the study of nuclear weapons can be directed towards peaceful goals (such as clean energy). Thus allowing us all the advantages of studying nuclear physics without any of the disadvantages of nuclear proliferation. Works Cited Rossenfeld, Carrie. "Science." Atomic Archive. Ed. Chris Griffith. AJ Software and Multimedia, 2008. Web. May 20, 2010. Freudenrich PhD, Craig and John Fuller. "How Nuclear Bombs Work." How it works. 05 October 2000. Web. 20 May 2010. .