1952 :: 1950s

1952 In 1954, many barriers were broken that made this a year of success. One of the major achievements is the cure for Polio being discovered which saved many lives and made the disease extinct. Other successes include the revolution of music and the birth of Rock & Roll. Other achievements this year were the invention of the first 2-seated sports car, the corvette, and the beginning of the Sports Illustrated magazine. During this year, RCA also produced the first color television where families could watch shows such as the Nelsons and the Show of Shows. Swanson also made the first TV dinners that families ate while they watched TV. One of the major barriers that were broken was the invention of the hydrogen bomb and when it was released, it was noted to be the biggest bomb to ever be set off. The United States conducted a full scale, successful experiment with a fusion device in 1952, which produced an explosion equivalent to several megatons (million tons) of chemical explosive. In 19 54, the United States detonated a fusion bomb with a power of 15 megatons instead of the expected 7 megatons. It created a glowing fireball more than 4.8 km (more than 3 miles) in diameter, and a huge mushroom cloud that quickly rose into the stratosphere. The hydrogen bomb was tested in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The bomb was said to be over 500 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945, giving the United States the technology to produce a bomb capable of razing any of the world’s largest cities. The hydrogen bomb created a fireball that was made up of extremely hot mass and went off in a nuclear explosion. A flash of heat radiation was emitted from the fireball and began to spread out over a large area. The radiation was able to cause flash burns on exposed skin. Besides the blast and heat, the exploding nuclear bomb was able to release a penetrating nuclear radiation. The nuclear radiation was able to cause serious injury to the islands surrounding the Marshall Islands. The radiation was effecting the near by natives when it was absorbed into the body of people. With the invention of the hydrogen bomb, ‘the nuclear/atomic age’ evolved and gave the United States the technology it needed to become the superior nation it is today.