June 23, 2004
Big Bangs
My earlier stolen picture reminded me of the fact that there have been over 2,000 nuclear bomb tests. That is an insane number. It speaks to me.
The baddest of the baddest? The Russkies detonated a hydrogen bomb they estimated originally at 50 megatons in 1961. The US calculated it was 57 megatons.
Little Boy, the Hiroshima bomb, was 13 kilotons. That makes the '61 bomb blast like, um, over 4,000 times more powerful than Hiroshima. If I'm wrong I'm sure Adam will correct me. I'm working with a calculator built into my Timex. As for Fat Man, the Nagasaki blast, nobody cares about Nagasaki, right? No books there, right?
My whole take on Nagasaki is: You've been nuked once, and you want some more? Can't cry Uncle? Putzes.
Anyhoo, my brother lent me a video called, ah, Nuclear Test Bombs, or some such. A nice grainy piece of video on that 57 Megger was in it. What I want is color footage. Surely the Evil Empire filmed it, right? I crave footage of that blast. The most fearsome film ever. When aliens unearth our fossilized remains they'll be looking for that film. 57 megatons. Fuck.