On November 1, 1952, the United States detonated its first hydrogen bomb in a series of nuclear tests called Operation Ivy. The bomb, nicknamed “Mike,” was a symbol of exceptional engineering achievement and marked a significant advancement in nuclear technology. It used thermonuclear reactions to create powerful explosive force instead of just nuclear reactions.
The test took place on Enewetak Atoll, an oval-shaped collection of 40 small islands and atolls spread out in the South Pacific Ocean. The bomb was placed on a small uninhabited rocky island called Elugelab, which evaporated instantly after the explosion caused by the hydrogen bomb that released an explosive force of up to 10.4 megatons. The explosion left behind a massive crater with a diameter of 1.9 km and a depth of 50 m.
A tsunami up to 6 meters high wiped out vegetation on surrounding islands, leading to Gordon Dean, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, summarizing the test results to President Dwight D. Eisenhower with the words “Elugelab Island has disappeared.” Witnesses from many ships at sea described the explosion as accompanied by blinding light and immediate heat waves felt at a distance of 48 – 56 km.
The hydrogen bomb was named Mike and created a fireball 5 km in diameter and a mushroom cloud that rose to a height of 41 km. Scientists collected debris from the air after the explosion and found traces of two new elements, einsteinium and fermium, which were named in honor of Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi. Nuclear testing on Enewetak Island ended in 1958, but decontamination efforts were carried out in 1977 and 2000. Scientists predict that the island will be suitable for human habitation by around 2026 –