November 1

This Day in History

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Lead Story
Sistine Chapel ceiling opens to public, 1512
American Revolution
Parliament enacts the Stamp Act, 1765
Automotive
Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is dedicated, 1930
Civil War
McClellan replaces Scott as Union army head, 1861
Cold War
United States tests first hydrogen bomb, 1952
Crime
An assassination attempt threatens President Harry S. Truman, 1950
Disaster
Earthquake takes heavy toll on Lisbon, 1755
General Interest
European Union goes into effect, 1993
Hollywood
Newman stars in Cool Hand Luke, 1967
Literary
Stephen Crane is born, 1871
Music
Boston's belated Third Stage hits #1, 1986
Old West
Legendary western lawman is murdered, 1924
Presidential
John Adams moves into White House, 1800
Sports
Jacques Plante is the first goalie to wear a facemask, 1959
Vietnam War
Military and political situation in South Vietnam deteriorates, 1964
Two new programs initiated in South Vietnam, 1968
World War I
The Battle of Coronel, 1914
World War II
FDR puts Coast Guard under control of the Navy, 1941

Cold War

Nov 1, 1952:

United States tests first hydrogen bomb

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The United States detonates the world's first thermonuclear weapon, the hydrogen bomb, on Eniwetok atoll in the Pacific. The test gave the United States a short-lived advantage in the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. Following the successful Soviet detonation of an atomic device in September 1949, the United States accelerated its program to develop the next stage in atomic weaponry, a thermonuclear bomb. Popularly known as the hydrogen bomb, this new weapon was approximately 1,000 times more powerful than conventional nuclear devices. Opponents of development of the hydrogen bomb included J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the fathers of the atomic bomb. He and others argued that little would be accomplished except the speeding up of the arms race, since it was assumed that the Soviets would quickly follow suit.The opponents were correct in their assumptions. The Soviet Union exploded a thermonuclear device the following year and by the late 1970s, seven nations had constructed hydrogen bombs. The nuclear arms race had taken a fearful step forward.

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This Week in History, Nov 1 - Nov 7

Nov 01, 1952
United States tests first hydrogen bomb
Nov 02, 1963
Ngo Dinh Diem assassinated in South Vietnam
Nov 03, 1964
Johnson defeats Goldwater for presidency
Nov 04, 1956
Soviets crush Hungarian revolt
Nov 05, 1968
Richard Nixon elected president
Nov 06, 1988
Renowned Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov visits United States
Nov 07, 1957
Gaither Report calls for more U.S. missiles and fallout shelters

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