United States

How today's nuclear weapons compare to those used in WWII

An atomic bomb of the "Little Boy" type, the kind which detonated over Hiroshima, Japan, is seen in an undated photograph.  Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory/Naval History and Heritage Command/Handout via REUTERS.  THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

The Little Boy bomb was the equivalent of detonating 15,000 tons (13.6 million kg) of TNT. Image: via REUTERS

Simon Scarr
Deputy Head of Graphics, Thomson Reuters
Marco Hernandez
Data Visualization Developer, Reuters Graphics
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Little Boy and Fat Man
How each nuclear bomb worked in 1945. Image: Reuters Graphics
The destruction of Hiroshima.
The destruction of Hiroshima. Image: Reuters Graphics
Memorial rock at the site where the second Chicago Pile reactor, CP-2, was buried in 1956.
Memorial rock at the site where the second Chicago Pile reactor, CP-2, was buried in 1956. Image: Picture by the U.S. federal government, public domain.
Aerial shots of the explosion of the “Fat Man” bomb and the subsequent destruction on Nagasaki. August 9, 1945.
Aerial shots of the explosion of the “Fat Man” bomb and the subsequent destruction on Nagasaki. Image: Reuters video archive.
The U.S. nuclear test site in Nevada.
The U.S. nuclear test site in Nevada. Image: Sentinel 2, European Space Agency.
Nuclear tests from 1945 - 2020, 1/3
Nuclear tests from 1945 - 2020, 1/3 Image: Reuters Graphics
Nuclear tests from 1945 - 2020, 2/3
Nuclear tests from 1945 - 2020, 2/3 Image: Reuters Graphics
Nuclear tests from 1945 - 2020, 3/3
Nuclear tests from 1945 - 2020, 3/3 Image: Reuters Graphics
Locations of nuclear tests.
Locations of nuclear tests. Image: Reuters Graphics
Melissa Hanham
Global nuclear stockpile.
Global nuclear stockpile. Image: Reuters Graphics
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