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The short answer is that the hydrogen bomb -- the fusion bomb -- was the natural extension of the relatively simple fission bombs used over Japan in WWII.

The very creation of the fission "atomic" bomb made possible the pressures and temperatures needed to foster a fusion reaction. Doing so promised to unleash a level of energy and power unheard of even within the circles of Los Alamos.

More to the point, the Soviet Union had been conducting a crash development program to create an atomic bomb after WWII, a program that used the Soviet bomb research, but added to it all the missing pieces supplied to them by agents in the US. Spies like Klaus Fuchs and Ethel and Julius Rosenberg supplied the USSR with the design details for the basic A-bomb.

In 1949, about the same time they figured out how to reverse-engineer a B-29, the Soviets detonated an atomic bomb. Having stolen secrets far beyond the mere "firecracker" of a fission A-bomb, the Soviets immediately embarked on a crash program to develop the same thing the Americans were working on -- the fusion bomb.

The "hydrogen" bomb, or "thermonuclear" bomb, borrows its power and its design from our sun. The star we depend on is powered by a never-ending cycle of nuclear fusion and fission. The "hydrogen" bomb works by using the heat and energy of fission to create fusion, then the heat and energy of fusion to create fission again. It works pretty well; the numbers went from kilotons of TNT to megatons of TNT.

Why was it created? It was the logical extension of the fission bomb. It was the BIGGEST bomb around. It allowed one to place the word "megaton" into one's dictionary.

American megatons and Soviet megatons lubricated the Cold War. For over forty years, East faced West, megatons in holsters at hips, and not one nuclear shot was fired. (The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 was ugly, but in the end, it was settled diplomatically.) No shots were fired because everyone was afraid that somebody somewhere might launch a missile or fire a shot that carried a "hydrogen bomb."

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14y ago
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6mo ago

The hydrogen bomb was created to increase the explosive power of nuclear weapons. It uses nuclear fusion to generate a significantly more powerful explosion than the atomic bombs that were used in World War II.

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Q: Why was the hydrogen bomb created?
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Related questions

What year was the hydrogen bomb created?

The hydrogen bomb was first successfully tested in 1952 by the United States.


What was the date when the first hydrogen bomb was created?

1753


Why did Edward Teller make the hydrogen bomb?

He created it to be more powerful than the atomic, and fission bomb.


What is degree of destroy that hydrogen bomb can do?

What size of Hydrogen Bomb? How many megatons? the biggest size of hydrogen bomb can done ...........


What bomb was made after the A-bomb?

The Hydrogen bomb.


What bomb was invented after the a-bomb?

The Hydrogen Bomb .


Which is more destructive a nuclear bomb or a hydrogen bomb?

A hydrogen bomb (thermonuclear bomb) is more destructive than a regular nuclear bomb (fission bomb). Hydrogen bombs release much larger amounts of energy and have the potential to create significantly more devastation and damage.


What is an h-bomb?

hydrogen bomb


Who was using the hydrogen bomb?

the hydrogen bomb has never been used in war


What was hydrogen bomb?

A bomb that splits a hydrogen atom, which literally explodes the air.


What is the most giant hydrogen bomb?

The 50 Megaton "Tsar Bomba" hydrogen bomb tested by the USSR in 1961 is the strongest hydrogen bomb ever detonated. The 10 Megaton "Ivy Mike" hydrogen bomb tested by the U.S. in 1952 is the physically largest hydrogen bomb ever detonated.


What is used as a trigger in a hydrogen bomb?

A traditional nuclear fission bomb is used as a trigger in a hydrogen bomb. The explosion from the fission bomb generates the high temperatures and pressures needed to initiate the fusion reaction in the hydrogen bomb.