Castle Bravo: America’s Deadliest Nuclear Mistake

On March 1, 1954, a Japanese fishing boat called the Lucky Dragon No. 5 was sailing near the Marshall Islands when its crew was caught in the fallout of a secret U.S. hydrogen bomb test. Code named Castle Bravo, the test released far more radiation than scientists had anticipated, contaminating not only the fishermen but nearby islanders, all without warning. Later labelled the “worst nuclear test in U.S. history,” Castle Bravo exposed the recklessness and secrecy at the heart of the Cold War arms race.

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