List of nuclear tests

The following is a list of nuclear test

Nuclear testing

Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the twentieth century, most nations that have developed nuclear weapons have tested them...

series designations, organized first by country

Country

In geography, a country is a geographical region. The term is often applied to a political division or the territory of a state, or to a smaller, or former, political division of a geographical region...

 and then by date. For more information on countries with nuclear weapons, see List of countries with nuclear weapons. For more information on nuclear weapon arsenals, see List of nuclear weapons.

United States of America

The United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 conducted around 1,054 nuclear tests (by official count) between 1945 and 1992. Most of the tests took place at the Nevada Test Site

Nevada Test Site

The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...

 and the Pacific Proving Grounds

Pacific Proving Grounds

The Pacific Proving Grounds was the name used to describe a number of sites in the Marshall Islands and a few other sites in the Pacific Ocean, used by the United States to conduct nuclear testing at various times between 1946 and 1962...

 in the Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands , officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. This nation of roughly 62,000 people is located north of Nauru and...

. Ten other tests took place at various locations in the United States, including Alaska, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...

, Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi . The state is heavily forested outside of the...

, and New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...

.

1945–1963

Year	Series	No. shots	Total yields	Location(s)	Image	Notes
1945	Trinity Trinity test Trinity was the first test of technology for an atomic weapon. It was conducted by the United States on July 16, 1945, at a location 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico on the White Sands Proving Ground, headquartered near Alamogordo. Trinity was a test of an implosion-design plutonium device...	1	20 kt	Alamogordo, New Mexico Alamogordo, New Mexico Alamogordo is a city in, and the county seat of, Otero County in south-central New Mexico, United States. A desert community lying in the Tularosa Basin, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains. It is the nearest city to Holloman Air Force Base...		First ever nuclear explosion.
1946	Crossroads Operation Crossroads Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in the summer of 1946. Its purpose was to test the effect of nuclear weapons on naval ships...	2	46 kt	Pacific Proving Grounds Pacific Proving Grounds The Pacific Proving Grounds was the name used to describe a number of sites in the Marshall Islands and a few other sites in the Pacific Ocean, used by the United States to conduct nuclear testing at various times between 1946 and 1962...		First postwar test series. First underwater nuclear explosion Underwater explosion An underwater explosion, also known as an UNDEX, is an explosion beneath the surface of water. The type of explosion may be chemical or nuclear... .
1948	Sandstone Operation Sandstone Operation Sandstone was the third American series of nuclear weapon tests. It was conducted in 1948 at Enewetak Atoll. These tests followed Crossroads and preceded Ranger. As was the custom, each explosion was given a nickname....	3	104 kt	Pacific Proving Grounds Pacific Proving Grounds The Pacific Proving Grounds was the name used to describe a number of sites in the Marshall Islands and a few other sites in the Pacific Ocean, used by the United States to conduct nuclear testing at various times between 1946 and 1962...		The first use of "levitated" cores. Developed the Mark IV warhead.
1951	Ranger Operation Ranger Operation Ranger was the fourth American nuclear test series. It was conducted in 1951 and was the first series to be carried out at the Nevada Test Site. All the bombs were exploded in the open air, having been dropped by B-50 bombers....	5	40 kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...		First tests at the Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of... .
1951	Greenhouse Operation Greenhouse Operation Greenhouse was the fifth American nuclear test series, the second conducted in 1951 and the first to test principles that would lead to developing thermonuclear weapons . Conducted at the new Pacific Proving Ground, all of the devices were mounted in large steel towers, to simulate air...	4	398.5 kt	Pacific Proving Grounds Pacific Proving Grounds The Pacific Proving Grounds was the name used to describe a number of sites in the Marshall Islands and a few other sites in the Pacific Ocean, used by the United States to conduct nuclear testing at various times between 1946 and 1962...		"George" shot was physics experiment relating to the hydrogen bomb; "Item" shot was first boosted fission weapon Boosted fission weapon A boosted fission weapon usually refers to a type of nuclear bomb that uses a small amount of fusion fuel to increase the rate, and thus yield, of a fission reaction. The neutrons released by the fusion reactions add to the neutrons released in the fission, as well as inducing the fission reactions... .
1951	Buster-Jangle Operation Buster-Jangle Operation Buster-Jangle was a series of seven nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States in late 1951 at the Nevada Test Site. Buster-Jangle was the first joint test program between the DOD and Los Alamos National Laboratories. 6,500 troops were involved in the Desert Rock I, II, and III...	7	71.9 kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...		Many shots done in conjunction with troop exercises on ground.
1952	Tumbler-Snapper Operation Tumbler-Snapper Operation Tumbler-Snapper was a series of atomic tests conducted by the United States in the spring of 1952 at the Nevada Test Site. The Tumbler-Snapper Series of tests preceded Operation Ivy, and followed Operation Buster-Jangle....	7	104 kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...		Operation "Snapper" tested a number of new devices, and also explored the "rope trick effect Rope trick effect thumb|200px|High-speed video clip of a nuclear explosion showing the rope trick effectRope trick is the term given by physicist John Malik to the curious lines and spikes which emanate from the fireball of certain nuclear explosions just after detonation.... ".
1952	Ivy Operation Ivy Operation Ivy was the eighth series of American nuclear tests, coming after Tumbler-Snapper and before Upshot-Knothole. The purpose of the tests was to help upgrade the U.S. arsenal of nuclear weapons, in response to the Soviet nuclear weapons program...	2	10.9 Mt	Pacific Proving Grounds Pacific Proving Grounds The Pacific Proving Grounds was the name used to describe a number of sites in the Marshall Islands and a few other sites in the Pacific Ocean, used by the United States to conduct nuclear testing at various times between 1946 and 1962...		"Mike Ivy Mike Ivy Mike was the codename given to the first United States nuclear test of a fusion device, in which a major part of the explosive yield came from nuclear fusion. It was detonated on November 1, 1952 by the United States at on Enewetak, an atoll in the Pacific Ocean, as part of Operation Ivy... " shot was first hydrogen bomb; "King Ivy King Ivy King was the largest pure fission nuclear bomb ever tested by the United States. The bomb was tested during the Truman administration as part of Operation Ivy... " shot was largest pure-fission bomb (500 kt).
1953	Upshot-Knothole Operation Upshot-Knothole Operation Upshot-Knothole was a series of eleven nuclear test shots conducted in 1953 at the Nevada Test Site.Over twenty-one thousand soldiers took part in the ground exercise Desert Rock V in conjunction with the Grable shot...	11	252.4 kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...		Grable shot used a 280mm M65 Atomic cannon M65 Atomic Cannon The M65 Atomic Cannon, often called Atomic Annie, was a towed artillery piece built by the United States and capable of firing a nuclear device. It was developed in the early 1950s and fielded by 1953 in the European and Korean theaters.-History:... .
1954	Castle Operation Castle Operation Castle was a United States series of high-energy nuclear tests by Joint Task Force SEVEN at Bikini Atoll beginning in March 1954...	6	48.2 Mt	Pacific Proving Grounds Pacific Proving Grounds The Pacific Proving Grounds was the name used to describe a number of sites in the Marshall Islands and a few other sites in the Pacific Ocean, used by the United States to conduct nuclear testing at various times between 1946 and 1962...		Deployable thermonuclears. "Bravo Castle Bravo Castle Bravo was the code name given to the first U.S. test of a dry fuel thermonuclear hydrogen bomb device, detonated on March 1, 1954, at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, by the United States, as the first test of Operation Castle... " was over twice as large as expected (most powerful ever by U.S.) and spread fallout Nuclear fallout Fallout is the residual radiation hazard from a nuclear explosion, aptly named because it "falls out" of the atmosphere into which it is spread during the explosion. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust created when a nuclear weapon explodes. This radioactive dust, consisting of hot...  over a wide area. Hydrogen bombs that used cryogenic fuel were obsolete.
1955	Teapot Operation Teapot Operation Teapot was a series of fourteen nuclear test explosions conducted at the Nevada Test Site in the first half of 1955.During shot "Wasp", ground forces took part in Exercise Desert Rock VI which included an armored task force "Razor" moving to within 900 meters of ground zero, under the...	14	167.8 kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...		First successful designs by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California is a scientific research laboratory founded by the University of California in 1952...  (after two years of trying).
1955	Wigwam Operation Wigwam Operation Wigwam involved a single test of the Mark 90 Betty nuclear bomb. It was conducted between Operation Teapot and Operation Redwing on May 14 1955, about 500 miles southwest of San Diego, California. 6,800 personnel aboard 30 ships were involved in Wigwam...	1	30 kt	Pacific Ocean		A single shot, 2000 ft underwater, to determine the vulnerability of submarines to nuclear explosions.
1955	Project 56 Project 56 Project 56 was a series of four safety experiments conducted by exploding the radioactive components of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere at the Nevada Test Site between November of 1955 and January 1956....	4	.01 to .1 kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...		Four 'one-point' safety tests, to ensure the safety of deployed designs.
1956	Redwing Operation Redwing Operation Redwing was a United States series of 17 nuclear test detonations from May to July 1956. They were conducted at Bikini and Eniwetok atolls. The entire operation followed Operation Wigwam and preceded Operation Plumbbob. The primary intention was to test new, second-generation...	17	20.82 Mt	Pacific Proving Grounds Pacific Proving Grounds The Pacific Proving Grounds was the name used to describe a number of sites in the Marshall Islands and a few other sites in the Pacific Ocean, used by the United States to conduct nuclear testing at various times between 1946 and 1962...		All thermonuclear weapons designs tests, including first "three stage" weapon test.
1957	Plumbbob Operation Plumbbob Operation Plumbbob was a series of nuclear tests conducted between May 28 and October 7, 1957, at the Nevada Test Site, following Operation Redwing, and preceding Operation Hardtack I...	29	343.74 kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...		One of the most controversial test series, release more radiation to continental U.S. than any series. Close proximity of troop exercises to shot "Smoky" produced significantly increased levels of leukemia Leukemia Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow and is characterized by an abnormal proliferation of blood cells, usually white blood cells . Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...  among exposed soldiers.
1957–58	Project 57, 58, 58A	5	0.5 kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...		Five 'one-point' safety tests, to ensure the safety of deployed designs.
1958	Chariot Operation Chariot (1958) Project Chariot was a 1958 US Atomic Energy Commission proposal to construct an artificial harbor at Cape Thompson on the North Slope of the U.S...	Cancelled		Cape Thompson, Alaska		Had planned to create an artificial harbor in Alaska as part of Operation Plowshare Operation Plowshare Operation Plowshare, better known as Project Plowshare, not to be confused with the anti-nuclear Plowshares Movement, was the overall United States term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes...  using thermonuclear explosions. Was eventually cancelled amid controversy and outcry.
1958	Hardtack I Operation Hardtack Operation Hardtack I & II was a series of 72 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1958. Hardtack I was carried out in the Pacific Ocean, at Bikini Atoll, Enewetak Atoll, and Johnston Island....	35	35.6 Mt	Pacific Proving Grounds Pacific Proving Grounds The Pacific Proving Grounds was the name used to describe a number of sites in the Marshall Islands and a few other sites in the Pacific Ocean, used by the United States to conduct nuclear testing at various times between 1946 and 1962...
1958	Argus Operation Argus Operation Argus was a series of nuclear weapons tests and missile tests secretly conducted during August and September of 1958 over the South Atlantic Ocean by the United States's Defense Nuclear Agency, in conjunction with the Explorer 4 space mission. Operation Argus was conducted between the...	3	5.1 kt	South Atlantic Ocean		Clandestine high-altitude test series carried out 1,110 miles southwest of South Africa to test whether nuclear explosions could create artificial Van Allen belts in near space.
1958	Hardtack II Operation Hardtack Operation Hardtack I & II was a series of 72 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1958. Hardtack I was carried out in the Pacific Ocean, at Bikini Atoll, Enewetak Atoll, and Johnston Island....	37	45.8 kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1961–62	Nougat Operation Nougat Operation Nougat was a series of 45 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1961 and 1962, immediately after the Soviet Union abrogated a testing moratorium. Most tests were limited-yield underground test shots...	32		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of... , Carlsbad, New Mexico Carlsbad, New Mexico Carlsbad is a city in and the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 27,463. Carlsbad is the center of the designated micropolitan area of Carlsbad-Artesia, which has a total population of 51,658.Carlsbad is located in the...		First all-underground test Underground nuclear testing Underground nuclear testing refers to test detonations of nuclear weapons that are performed underground. When the device being tested is buried at sufficient depth, the explosion may be contained, with no release of radioactive materials to the atmosphere....  series. Included Operation Plowshare Operation Plowshare Operation Plowshare, better known as Project Plowshare, not to be confused with the anti-nuclear Plowshares Movement, was the overall United States term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes...  shot "Gnome" in Carlsbad, New Mexico Carlsbad, New Mexico Carlsbad is a city in and the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 27,463. Carlsbad is the center of the designated micropolitan area of Carlsbad-Artesia, which has a total population of 51,658.Carlsbad is located in the... , which was detonated in an underground salt dome Salt dome A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when a thick bed of evaporite minerals found at depth intrudes vertically into surrounding rock strata, forming a diapir.... .
1962–63	Dominic	36	38.1 Mt	Christmas Island Kiritimati Kiritimati or Christmas Island is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands and part of the Republic of Kiribati.The island has the greatest land area of any coral atoll in the world: about ; its lagoon is about the same size. The atoll is about in perimeter, while the lagoon shoreline... , Johnston Island, Central Pacific Ocean		"Frigate Bird" was the only operational test of a missile "mated" with a live warhead. Series also included three high-altitude tests known as Operation Fishbowl.
1962–63	Storax Operation Storax Operation Storax was a series of 48 American nuclear tests which took place in 1962 and 1963, including the Sedan blast, which was part of the Plowshare program.The individual blasts were:...	48		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...		Included the "Sedan Sedan (nuclear test) Storax Sedan was a shallow underground nuclear test conducted in Area 10 of Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site on 6 July 1962 as part of Operation Plowshare, a program to investigate the use of nuclear weapons for mining, cratering, and other civilian purposes... " test, a cratering experiment as part of Operation Plowshare Operation Plowshare Operation Plowshare, better known as Project Plowshare, not to be confused with the anti-nuclear Plowshares Movement, was the overall United States term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes... .
1962	Sunbeam Operation Sunbeam Operation Sunbeam was a series of four nuclear tests conducted at the United States of America's Nevada Test Site in 1962. Operation Sunbeam tested a number of small, "tactical" nuclear warheads...	4	2.19 kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...		Test of small tactical warheads, including the man-portable "Davy Crockett Davy Crockett (nuclear device) The M-388 Davy Crockett was a tactical nuclear recoilless rifle projectile that was deployed by the United States during the Cold War. It was named after American soldier, Congressman and folk hero Davy Crockett .-Development:... ". Last atmospheric test series.
1963	Roller Coaster Operation Roller Coaster Operation Roller Coaster was a series of 4 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1963. The tests examined the dispersal of plutonium in storage and transportation accidents and were not expected to produce any nuclear explosive yield. The tests were:...	4	0	Nellis Air Force Range, Nevada Nevada Nevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...		Storage-transportation safety experiment, measured plutonium dispersal risk.

1963–1992

After the signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty

Partial Test Ban Treaty

The Treaty banning Nuclear Weapon Tests In The Atmosphere, In Outer Space And Under Water, often abbreviated as the Partial Test Ban Treaty , Limited Test Ban Treaty , or Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is a treaty prohibiting all test detonations of nuclear weapons...

 in 1963, all U.S. nuclear testing became underground testing

Underground nuclear testing

Underground nuclear testing refers to test detonations of nuclear weapons that are performed underground. When the device being tested is buried at sufficient depth, the explosion may be contained, with no release of radioactive materials to the atmosphere....

.

Year	Series	No. shots	Total yields	Location(s)	Notes
1964–65	Niblick Operation Niblick Operation Niblick was a series of 41 underground nuclear explosions conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1963 and 1964. It followed the Dominic I & II and Nougat series, and preceded Whetstone....	41		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1964–65	Whetstone Operation Whetstone Operation Whetstone was a series of 48 American nuclear tests conducted in 1964 and 1965. These followed the Niblick series and was in turn followed by Flintlock. All but one of these blasts were conducted beneath the Nevada Test Site. The individual blasts were:...	48		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of... , Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census.Founded in 1882 by pioneer lumberman and civil engineer William H. Hardy, Hattiesburg was named in honor of Hardy's wife Hattie. The town was incorporated two years later with a...
1965–66	Flintlock Operation Flintlock (nuclear test) Operation Flintlock was a series of 48 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1965 and 1966. These tests followed the Whetstone series and preceded Latchkey. The individual blasts were:...	48		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of... , Amchitka, Alaska Amchitka Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is about long, and from wide. It has a maritime climate, with many storms, and mostly overcast skies.The island was populated for more than 2,500 years by the Aleut...
1966–67	Latchkey Operation Latchkey Operation Latchkey was a series of 38 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1966 and 1967 at the Nevada Test Site .These tests followed the Flintlock series and were in turn followed by Crosstie. The individual explosions were:...	38		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of... , Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census.Founded in 1882 by pioneer lumberman and civil engineer William H. Hardy, Hattiesburg was named in honor of Hardy's wife Hattie. The town was incorporated two years later with a...
1967–68	Crosstie Operation Crosstie Operation Crosstie was a series of 48 nuclear tests mostly conducted in Nevada during 1967 and 1968. These tests followed the Latchkey series and preceded Bowline....	48		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of... , Farmington, New Mexico Farmington, New Mexico Farmington is a city in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 37,844. The Census Bureau's 2006 population estimate for the city is 43,573. Farmington is located at the junction of the San Juan, Animas, and La Plata rivers, on the...	Included "Gasbuggy" Plowshare Operation Plowshare Operation Plowshare, better known as Project Plowshare, not to be confused with the anti-nuclear Plowshares Movement, was the overall United States term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes...  shot near Farmington, New Mexico Farmington, New Mexico Farmington is a city in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 37,844. The Census Bureau's 2006 population estimate for the city is 43,573. Farmington is located at the junction of the San Juan, Animas, and La Plata rivers, on the... .
1968–69	Bowline Operation Bowline Operation Bowline was a series of 48 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1968 and 1969 at the Nevada Test Site. These blasts followed Crosstie and preceded Mandrel.-Individual Tests:...	48		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1969	Mandrel Operation Mandrel Operation Mandrel was a series of 53 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1969 and 1970. This test series included a 1.2 megaton "calibration shot" code-named Milrow, which was detonated 4,000 feet underground at Amchitka Island, Alaska, and the 40 kiloton gas stimulation experiment code-named...	53		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of... ; Grand Valley, Colorado Grand Valley (Colorado) The Grand Valley is an extended populated valley, approximately 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, located along the Colorado River in Mesa County in western Colorado and Grand County, Utah in the United States. The valley contains the city of Grand Junction, as well as other smaller communities... ; Amchitka, Alaska Amchitka Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is about long, and from wide. It has a maritime climate, with many storms, and mostly overcast skies.The island was populated for more than 2,500 years by the Aleut...	Included "Rulison Rulison Project Rulison, named after the rural community of Rulison, Colorado, was a 43-kiloton nuclear test project in the United States on September 10, 1969, about 8 miles SE of the town of Grand Valley, Colorado near western Colorado's Grand Valley in Garfield County. The U. S. Dept. of Energy lists... " Plowshare Operation Plowshare Operation Plowshare, better known as Project Plowshare, not to be confused with the anti-nuclear Plowshares Movement, was the overall United States term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes...  shot near Grand Valley, Colorado Grand Valley (Colorado) The Grand Valley is an extended populated valley, approximately 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, located along the Colorado River in Mesa County in western Colorado and Grand County, Utah in the United States. The valley contains the city of Grand Junction, as well as other smaller communities... , and 1.2 Mt shot "Milrow" in Alaska.
1970	Emery Operation Emery Operation Emery was a series of twelve nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site. These explosions occurred in 1970 and 1971, after the Mandrel series and before Grommet....	16		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1971–72	Grommet Operation Grommet Operation Grommet was a series of 34 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1971 and 1972 including one in Alaska in 1971. These tests followed the Emery series and preceded Toggle....	34		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of... , Amchitka, Alaska Amchitka Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is about long, and from wide. It has a maritime climate, with many storms, and mostly overcast skies.The island was populated for more than 2,500 years by the Aleut...	Included largest US underground detonation Underground nuclear testing Underground nuclear testing refers to test detonations of nuclear weapons that are performed underground. When the device being tested is buried at sufficient depth, the explosion may be contained, with no release of radioactive materials to the atmosphere.... , the >5 mt shot "Cannikin" (for the Spartan Missile warhead) in Alaska.
1972–73	Toggle Operation Toggle Operation Toggle was a series of 28 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1972 and 1973. These tests followed the Grommet series and preceded Arbor. The individual blasts were:...	28		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of... , Rifle, Colorado Rifle, Colorado The City of Rifle is a Home Rule Municipality in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 6,784 at the 2000 census. The town is a regional center of the cattle ranching industry located along Interstate 70 and the Colorado River just east of the Roan Cliffs, which dominate the...	Included Plowshare "Rio Blanco" test for gas stimulation
1973–74	Arbor Operation Arbor Operation Arbor was a series of 19 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1973 and 1974. These tests followed the Toggle series and preceded Bedrock.-Individual Tests:...	19		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1974–75	Bedrock Operation Bedrock Operation Bedrock was a series of 27 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1974 and 1975. These tests followed the Arbor series and preceded Anvil.-List of individual tests:...	27		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1975–76	Anvil Operation Anvil (Nuclear test) Operation Anvil was a series of 22 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1975 and 1976. These tests followed the Bedrock series and preceded Fulcrum.-Individual Tests:...	21		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1976–77	Fulcrum Operation Fulcrum Operation Fulcrum was a series of 21 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1976 and 1977. These tests followed the Anvil series and preceded Cresset. The individual blasts were:...	21		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...	All "weapons related" tests.
1977–78	Cresset Operation Cresset Operation Cresset was a series of 23 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1977 and 1978. These tests followed the Fulcrum series and preceded Quicksilver. The individual blasts were:...	23		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1978–79	Quicksilver Operation Quicksilver (1978) Operation Quicksilver was a nuclear test series of eighteen blasts conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1978 and 1979. This preceded Tinderbox, and followed Cresset. The individual tests were:...	18		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1979–80	Tinderbox Operation Tinderbox Operation Tinderbox was a series of fifteen nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1979 and 1980. These tests followed the Quicksilver series and preceded Guardian. The individual blasts were:...	15		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1980–81	Guardian Operation Guardian History records two military operations named Operation Guardian:# The 1948 British-backed attempt to spark an anti-Communist civil war in Yugoslavia. Although thousands of Croats had been trained in Italy and Germany for the task, the shadow army melted away after returning to Yugoslavia...	16		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1981–82	Praetorian Operation Praetorian Operation Praetorian was a series of 22 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1981 and 1982. These tests followed the Guardian series and preceded Phalanx. The individual blasts were:...	22		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1982–83	Phalanx Operation Phalanx Operation Phalanx was a series of 19 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1982 and 1983. These tests followed the Praetorian series and preceded Fusileer. The individual blasts were:...	19		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1983–84	Fusileer Operation Fusileer Operation Fusileer was a series of 17 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1983 and 1984. These tests followed the Phalanx series and preceded Grenadier. The individual blasts were:...	17		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1984–85	Grenadier Operation Grenadier Operation Grenadier was a series of 17 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1984 and 1985. These tests followed the Fusileer series and preceded Charioteer. The individual blasts were:...	17		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1985–86	Charioteer Operation Charioteer Operation Charioteer was a series of 18 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1985 and 1986. These tests followed the Grenadier series and preceded Operation Musketeer .-List of individual tests:...	18		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...	Mighty Oak test using the Mk-21 RV warhead. was conducted on April 10, 1986. Containment failed and later radiation was released. Secondary sources put this venting into at 36,000 curies, which is 2000 times greater than the 3 Mile Island incident. Sources: Dr. Rosalie Bertell, Dr. Bonnie Eberhardt, journalist Paul Van Dam.
1986–87	Musketeer Operation Musketeer (Nuclear test) Operation Musketeer was a series of 15 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1986 and 1987. These tests followed the Charioteer series and preceded Touchstone. The individual blasts were:...	15		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1987–88	Touchstone Operation Touchstone Operation Touchstone was a series of 14 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1987 and 1988. These tests followed the Musketeer series and preceded Cornerstone. The individual blasts were:...	14		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1988–89	Cornerstone Operation Cornerstone Operation Cornerstone was a series of 12 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1988 and 1989. These tests followed the Touchstone series and preceded Aqueduct. The individual blasts were:...	12		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1989–90	Aqueduct Operation Aqueduct Operation Aqueduct was a series of 11 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1989 and 1990. These tests followed the Cornerstone series and preceded Sculpin.-Individual Tests:...	11		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1990–91	Sculpin Operation Sculpin Operation Sculpin was a series of 8 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1990 and 1991. These tests followed the Aqueduct series and preceded Julin. The individual blasts were:...	8		Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...
1991–92	Julin Operation Julin Operation Julin was a series of 8 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1991 and 1992. These tests followed the Sculpin series and was the last nuclear test series conducted by the U.S. The individual blasts were:-Last test:...	8	<460kt	Nevada Test Site Nevada Test Site The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Ground, the site, established on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear devices, is composed of...	Last nuclear test series. Last shot was "Divider" (September 23, 1992). Exact yields not released.

A number of shots whose goals were to assess the non-military use of nuclear weapons were known as Operation Plowshare

Operation Plowshare

Operation Plowshare, better known as Project Plowshare, not to be confused with the anti-nuclear Plowshares Movement, was the overall United States term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes...

, and done during many different test series.

The United States has not conducted any tests since 1992, though they have conducted a number of sub-critical tests (which do not involve a chain reaction).

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...

 conducted 715 nuclear tests (by official count) http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Russia/Sovtestsum.html between 1949 and 1990. Most of them took place at the Semipalatinsk Test Site

Semipalatinsk Test Site

The Semipalatinsk Test Site was the primary testing venue for the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons. It is located on the steppe in northeast Kazakhstan , south of the valley of the Irtysh River...

 in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country situated in Eurasia that is ranked as the ninth largest country in the world. It is also the world's largest landlocked country. Its territory of 2,727,300 km² is greater than Western Europe...

 and the Northern Test Site at Novaya Zemlya

Novaya Zemlya

Novaya Zemlya is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe at Cape Zhelaniya...

. Additional tests were conducted at various locations in Russia and Kazakhstan, while a small number of tests were conducted in Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...

, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan , is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union...

, and Turkmenia.

Some significant Soviet tests include:

• Operation First Lightning/RDS-1
  Joe 1
  The RDS-1 was the Soviet Union's first nuclear weapon test. It is also known as Joe-1, in reference to Joseph Stalin. It was test-exploded on 29 August 1949, at Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR, after a top-secret R&D project...
  
   (known as Joe 1
  Joe 1
  The RDS-1 was the Soviet Union's first nuclear weapon test. It is also known as Joe-1, in reference to Joseph Stalin. It was test-exploded on 29 August 1949, at Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR, after a top-secret R&D project...
  
   in the West), August 29, 1949 — first Soviet nuclear test.
• RDS-4
  Joe 4
  Joe 4 was an American nickname for the first Soviet test of a thermonuclear weapon on August 12, 1953. It utilized a scheme in which fission and fusion fuel were "layered", a design known as the Sloika model in the Soviet Union...
  
   (known as Joe 4
  Joe 4
  Joe 4 was an American nickname for the first Soviet test of a thermonuclear weapon on August 12, 1953. It utilized a scheme in which fission and fusion fuel were "layered", a design known as the Sloika model in the Soviet Union...
  
   in the West), August 12, 1953 — first Soviet thermonuclear test (not a "true" hydrogen bomb).
• RDS-37
  RDS-37
  RDS-37 was the Soviet Union's first "true" hydrogen bomb, first tested on November 22, 1955. The weapon had a nominal yield of approximately 3 megatons. It was scaled down to 1.6 megatons for the live test....
  
  , November 22, 1955 — first Soviet multi-megaton, "true" hydrogen bomb test.
• Tsar Bomba
  Tsar Bomba
  Tsar Bomba , literally "Tsar-bomb", is the nickname for the AN602 hydrogen bomb — the largest, most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated, and currently the most powerful explosive ever detonated in human history.Developed by the Soviet Union, the bomb was originally designed to have a yield of...
  
  , October 30, 1961 — largest nuclear weapon ever detonated, with a yield of 50 Mt.
• Chagan
  Chagan (nuclear test)
  Chagan was a Soviet nuclear test during the Soviet atomic bomb project and was the most powerful test in the Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy series. It was an underground test, fired on January 15, 1965. The yield was the equivalent of 140 kilotons of TNT...
  
  , January 15, 1965 — large cratering experiment as part of Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy
  Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy
  Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy , was a Soviet program to investigate peaceful nuclear explosions . It was analogous to the US program Operation Plowshare....
  
   program.

The last Soviet test took place on October 24, 1990. After the dissolution of the USSR in 1992, Russia inherited their former nuclear stockpile, but has not conducted any nuclear tests.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...

 has conducted 45 tests (21 in Australian territory, including 9 in mainland South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories....

 at Maralinga

British nuclear tests at Maralinga

British nuclear tests at Maralinga occurred between 1955 and 1963 at the Maralinga site, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area, in South Australia. A total of seven major nuclear tests were performed, with approximate yields ranging from 1 to 27 kilotons...

 and Emu Field, many others in the U.S. as part of joint test series). Tests include:

• Operation Hurricane
  Operation Hurricane
  Operation Hurricane was the test of the first British atomic device on 3 October 1952. A plutonium implosion device was detonated in the lagoon between the Montebello Islands, Western Australia....
  
  , October 3, 1952 (first atomic bomb)
• Operation Totem
  Operation Totem
  Operation Totem was a pair of British atmospheric nuclear tests which took place in October 1953. The only ones conducted at a temporary site in Australia, Emu Field, they followed the Operation Hurricane test of the first British atomic bomb which had taken place at the Monte Bello Islands a year...
  
  , 1953
• Operation Mosaic
  Operation Mosaic
  Operation Mosaic was a series of two atmospheric nuclear tests conducted by Britain in the Montebello Islands off the north-west coast of Australia in 1956...
  
  , 1956
• Operation Buffalo
  Operation Buffalo
  Operation Buffalo may refer to one of three military history events:* The breakout from the Anzio beachhead conducted by U.S. VI Corps commencing on 23 May, 1944....
  
  , 1956
• Operation Antler, 1957
• Operation Grapple
  Operation Grapple
  Operation Grapple, and operations Grapple X, Grapple Y and Grapple Z, were the names of British nuclear tests of the hydrogen bomb. They were held 1956—1958 at Malden Island and Christmas Island in the central Pacific Ocean. Nine nuclear detonations took place during the trials, resulting in...
  
  , 1957–1958 (first hydrogen bomb)

Last test: Julin Bristol

Julin Bristol

Julin Bristol was the last British nuclear test, and took place at the Nevada Test Site on 26 November 1991. With a yield of less than 20 kilotons it may have been a proof test of some aspect of the British-designed warheads fitted to those Trident missiles in the British arsenal, possibly of a...

, November 26, 1991, vertical shaft.

Atmospheric tests involving nuclear material but conventional explosions:

• Operation Kittens, 1953-1961 (initiator tests using conventional explosive)
• Operation Rats, 1956-1960 (conventional explosions to study dispersal of uranium)
• Operation Tims, 1955-1963 (conventional explosions for tamper, plutonium compression trials)
• Operation Vixen, 1959-1963 (effects of accidental fire or explosion on nuclear weapons)

France

France

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...

 conducted 210 nuclear tests between February 13, 1960 and January 27, 1996. http://www.capcomespace.net/dossiers/espace_europeen/albion/essais_nucleaire_francais_listing.htm

• Operation Gerboise bleue, February 13, 1960 (first atomic bomb) and three more — Reggane
  Reggane
  Reggane from berber argan is a town in the Adrar Province of central Algeria, in the Sahara Desert. It is the southernmost town of the Tuat....
  
  , Algeria
  Algeria
  Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country on the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area.It is bordered by Tunisia in...
  
  ; in the atmosphere; final test reputed to be more intended to prevent the weapon from falling into the hands of generals rebelling against Charles de Gaulle
  Charles de Gaulle
  Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II...
  
   than for testing purposes.
• Operation Agathe, November 7, 1961 and 12 more — In Ekker, Hoggar Algeria; underground
• Operation Aldébaran, July 2, 1966 and 45 more — Mururoa and Fangataufa
  Fangataufa
  Fangataufa is a small, low, narrow, coral atoll in the eastern side of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Along with its neighboring atoll, Moruroa, it has been the site of approximately 200 nuclear bomb tests....
  
  , French Polynesia
  French Polynesia
  French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
  
  ; in the atmosphere;
  • first hydrogen bomb: August 28, 1968 Canopus
    Canopus (nuclear test)
    Canopus was the code name for France's first two-stage thermonuclear test, conducted on August 24, 1968 at Fangataufa atoll...
    
     (Fangataufa)
• Operation Achille June 5, 1975 and 146 more — Mururoa and Fangataufa, French Polynesia
  French Polynesia
  French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
  
  ; underground
  • last test: January 27, 1996 Operation Xouthos (Fangataufa)

China

The People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...

 conducted 45 tests (23 atmospheric and 22 underground, all conducted at Lop Nur

Lop Nur

Lop Nur is a group of small, now seasonal salt lake sand marshes between the Taklamakan and Kuruktag deserts in the southeastern portion of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China.The lake system into which the Tarim River empties is the last remnant of the historical...

 Nuclear Weapons Test Base, in Malan

Malan

Malan may be:Members of the prominent South African Malan family:*F. S. Malan , Minister of Education, 1910–1924*Daniel François Malan , Prime Minister of South Africa, 1948–1954...

, Xinjiang

Xinjiang

Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China and also claimed by the territory of the Republic of China.-Names:Older English-language reference works often refer to the area as Chinese Turkestan, Sinkiang, East...

)

• First test: "596
  596 (nuclear test)
  596 is the codename of the People's Republic of China's first nuclear weapons test, detonated on October 16 1964 at the Lop Nur test site. It was a uranium-235 implosion fission device and had a yield of 22 kilotons...
  
  " — October 16, 1964
• First hydrogen bomb test: "Test No. 6" - June 17, 1967
• 200MT-1MT atmospheric test, June 17, 1974 (16th test)
• Last atmospheric test: October 16, 1980. The would also be the last atmospheric nuclear explosion by any other country
• Last test: July 29, 1996, underground.

India

India

India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...

 conducted 5 or 6 tests, at Pokhran

Pokhran

Pokhran is a city and a municipality located in Jaisalmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is a remote location in the Thar Desert region and served as the test site for India's first underground nuclear weapon detonation.-Geography:Pokhran is located at...

.

• Operation Smiling Buddha, May 18, 1974 — implosion type, plutonium, underground, 6 to 20 kt
• Operation Shakti, all underground:
  • May 11, 1998 — three simultaneously, of which one was claimed to be a fusion device
  • May 13, 1998 — two simultaneously

Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...

 conducted 2 tests:

• May 28, 1998 — One underground horizontal-shaft tunnel tests (inside a granite mountain) of boosted fission devices with the largest having a yield of approximately 30-35 kilotonnes at Koh Kambaran in the Ras Koh
  Ras Koh
  Ras Koh is located in Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Pakistan's first nuclear tests were performed under the 185 metre granite mountain in 1998 May 28.The site was selected by PAEC scientists, Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad, and Dr...
  
   Hills in Chagai District of Balochistan Province.
• May 30, 1998 — one underground vertical-shaft tunnel test of a miniaturized fission device having a yield of approximately 18-20 kilotonnes in the Kharan Desert
  Kharan Desert
  Kharan Desert is a mountainous desert located in Kharan District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Kharan desert is Pakistan's second nuclear test site, operated by the PAEC...
  
   in Kharan District
  Kharan District
  Kharan is a district in the north-west of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Kharan was notified as a district in 1951 and the Deputy Commissioner’s office started functioning on March 15 1952. It is one of the oldest districts of Balochistan. The Deputy Commissioner directly supervises all...
  
   of Balochistan Province.

Year	Series	No. shots	Total yields	Location(s)	Image	Notes
May 28, 1998	Chagai-I Chagai-I Chagai-I refers to the nuclear tests conducted by Pakistan in 1998. It was named Chagai-I as the tests were conducted in the Chagai District . Plans to conduct a nuclear test started in 1976 with Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission scientists frequently visiting the area to find a suitable location...	1	30-35 kt	Koh Kambaran, Ras Koh Ras Koh Ras Koh is located in Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Pakistan's first nuclear tests were performed under the 185 metre granite mountain in 1998 May 28.The site was selected by PAEC scientists, Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad, and Dr...  Hills, Chagai District Chagai District CHAGHI/Chagai is the largest district of Pakistan and is located on the north west corner of Balochistan, Pakistan. It forms a triangular border with Afghanistan and Iran.Pakistan conducted a nuclear weapons test in 1998 at Ras Koh Hills Chagai District.... , Balochistan Balochistan (Pakistan) Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by geographical area, constituting approximately 48% of the total area of Pakistan. At the 1998 census, Balochistan had a population of roughly 6.5 million. Its neighbouring regions are Iran to the west, Afghanistan and the North West Frontier... , Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia... .		One underground horizontal-shaft tunnel tests (inside a granite mountain) of boosted fission devices.
May 30, 1998	Chagai-I Chagai-I Chagai-I refers to the nuclear tests conducted by Pakistan in 1998. It was named Chagai-I as the tests were conducted in the Chagai District . Plans to conduct a nuclear test started in 1976 with Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission scientists frequently visiting the area to find a suitable location...	1	18-20 kt	Kharan Desert Kharan Desert Kharan Desert is a mountainous desert located in Kharan District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Kharan desert is Pakistan's second nuclear test site, operated by the PAEC... , Kharan District Kharan District Kharan is a district in the north-west of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Kharan was notified as a district in 1951 and the Deputy Commissioner’s office started functioning on March 15 1952. It is one of the oldest districts of Balochistan. The Deputy Commissioner directly supervises all... , Balochistan Balochistan (Pakistan) Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by geographical area, constituting approximately 48% of the total area of Pakistan. At the 1998 census, Balochistan had a population of roughly 6.5 million. Its neighbouring regions are Iran to the west, Afghanistan and the North West Frontier... , Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia... .		One underground vertical-shaft tunnel test of a miniaturized fission device.

North Korea

On October 9, 2006 North Korea

North Korea

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...

 announced they had conducted a nuclear test in North Hamgyong

North Hamgyong

North Hamgyŏng is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyŏng Province.-Geography:...

 province on the northeast coast at 10:36 AM (11:30 AEST). There was a 3.58 magnitude earthquake reported in South Korea

South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...

. There was a 4.2 magnitude tremor detected 240 miles north of P'yongyang. The low estimates on the yield of the test — potentially less than a kiloton in strength — have led to speculation as to whether it was a fizzle (unsuccessful test), or a genuine nuclear test at all.
On May 25, 2009, North Korea announced having conducted a second nuclear test. A tremor, with magnitude reports ranging from 4.7 to 5.3, was detected 233 miles northeast of P'yongyang, within a few kilometers of the 2006 test location. While estimates as to yield are still uncertain, with reports ranging from 3 to 20 kilotons, the stronger tremor indicates a significantly larger yield than the 2006 test.

Alleged tests

There have been a number of significant alleged/disputed/unacknowledged accounts of countries testing nuclear explosives. Their status is either not certain or entirely disputed by most mainstream experts.

Japan

There is a disputed report about the Japanese atomic program

Japanese atomic program

The Japanese program to develop nuclear weapons was conducted during World War II in response to the perceived threat of its enemies obtaining such a weapon first and using it against Japan...

 being able to test a nuclear weapon in Korea on August 12, 1945, a few days after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks near the end of World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United States at the executive order of U.S. President Harry S. Truman on August 6 and August 9, 1945, respectively...

 on August 6 and 9, and three days before the Japanese surrender on August 15, but this is seen as being highly unlikely by mainstream historians. See Japanese atomic program

Japanese atomic program

The Japanese program to develop nuclear weapons was conducted during World War II in response to the perceived threat of its enemies obtaining such a weapon first and using it against Japan...

 for more information.

Israel/South Africa

In what is known as the Vela Incident

Vela Incident

The Vela Incident was an unidentified double flash of light detected by a United States Vela satellite on 22 September 1979....

, Israel

Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...

 and/or South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...

 may have detonated a nuclear device on September 22, 1979 in the Indian Ocean, according to satellite data. It is not certain whether there was actually a test, also it is not known who would have been responsible for it. See Vela Incident

Vela Incident

The Vela Incident was an unidentified double flash of light detected by a United States Vela satellite on 22 September 1979....

 for more information.

Pakistan

In the their book, The Nuclear Express, authors Thomas Reed and Danny Stillman allege that the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...

 allowed Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...

 to detonate a nuclear weapon at its Lop Nur

Lop Nur

Lop Nur is a group of small, now seasonal salt lake sand marshes between the Taklamakan and Kuruktag deserts in the southeastern portion of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China.The lake system into which the Tarim River empties is the last remnant of the historical...

 test site in 1990, eight years before Pakistan held its first official weapons test.

North Korea

On September 9, 2004 it was reported by South Korean media that there had been a large explosion at the Chinese/North Korean border. This explosion left a crater visible by satellite and precipitated a large (2 mile diameter) mushroom cloud. The United States and South Korea quickly downplayed this, explaining it away as a forest fire that had nothing to do with the DPRK's nuclear weapons program. See Ryanggang explosion

Ryanggang explosion

The Ryanggang explosion was a large explosion that took place in North Korea on September 9, 2004, in the northern province of Ryanggang. The nature and cause of the suspected explosion is the subject of speculation.-The suspected explosion:...

 for more information.

Germany

Hitlers Bombe

Hitlers Bombe

Hitlers Bombe is a nonfiction book by the German historian Rainer Karlsch published in March 2005 which claims to have evidence concerning the development and testing of a possible "nuclear weapon" by Nazi Germany in 1945...

, a book published in German by the historian Rainer Karlsch

Rainer Karlsch

Rainer Karlsch is a German historian and author.He studied economic history at the Humboldt University of Berlin. He graduated in 1986 as a Doctor of Economics.From 1992-1994, assistant to the Historical commission on...

 in 2005, has alleged that there is evidence that Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...

 performed some sort of test of a "nuclear device" (a hybrid fusion

Nuclear fusion

In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fusion is the process by which multiple like-charged atomic nuclei join together to form a heavier nucleus...

 device unlike any modern nuclear weapons) in March 1945, though the evidence for this has not yet been fully evaluated, and has been doubted by many historians.

Tests of live warheads on rockets

Missiles and nuclear warheads have usually been tested separately, because testing them together is considered highly dangerous (they are the most extreme type of live fire exercise

Live fire exercise

A live fire exercise or LFX is any exercise in which a realistic scenario for the use of specific equipment is simulated. In the popular lexicon this is applied primarily to tests of weapons or weapon systems that are associated with the various branches of a nation's armed forces, although the...

). The only US live test of an operational missile was the following:

• Frigate Bird — on May 6, 1962, a UGM-27 Polaris
  UGM-27 Polaris
  The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy. It was designed to be used as part of the Navy's contribution to the United States arsenal of nuclear...
  
   A-2 missile with a live 600 kt W47 warhead was launched from the USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608)
  USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608)
  USS Ethan Allen , lead ship of her class, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Ethan Allen.Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Corporation of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 22 November 1960, sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. Hopkins,...
  
  ; it flew 1900 km, re-entered the atmosphere, and detonated at an altitude of 3.4 km over the South Pacific. The test was part of Operation Dominic I
  Operation Dominic I and II
  Operation Dominic was a series of 105 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1962 by the United States. Those conducted in the Pacific are sometimes called Dominic I. The blasts in Nevada are known as Dominic II. This test series was scheduled quickly, in order to take advantage of the Soviet...
  
  . Planned as a method to dispel doubts about whether the USA's nuclear missiles would actually function in practice, it had less effect than was hoped, as the stockpile warhead was substantially modified prior to testing, and the missile tested was a relatively low-flying SLBM and not a high-flying ICBM.

Other live tests with the nuclear explosive delivered by rocket by the USA include:

• Operation Argus
  Operation Argus
  Operation Argus was a series of nuclear weapons tests and missile tests secretly conducted during August and September of 1958 over the South Atlantic Ocean by the United States's Defense Nuclear Agency, in conjunction with the Explorer 4 space mission. Operation Argus was conducted between the...
  
   — three tests
• On August 1, 1958, Redstone
  Redstone (rocket)
  First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. Redstone was used for the first live nuclear missile tests by the United States...
  
   rocket #CC50 launched nuclear test Teak that detonated at an altitude of 77.8-km. On August 12, 1958, Redstone #CC51 launched nuclear test Orange to a detonation altitude of 43 km. Both were part of Operation Hardtack
  Operation Hardtack
  Operation Hardtack I & II was a series of 72 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1958. Hardtack I was carried out in the Pacific Ocean, at Bikini Atoll, Enewetak Atoll, and Johnston Island....
  
   and had a yield of 3.75 Mt
• On July 9, 1962, Thor missile
  PGM-17 Thor
  Thor was the first operational ballistic missile in the arsenal of the United States, operated by the US Air Force. Thor was in height and in diameter. Named after the Norse god of Thunder, it was deployed in the UK between 1959 and September 1963 as an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile with...
  
   195 launched a Mk4 reentry vehicle containing a W49 thermonuclear warhead to an altitude of 248 miles (400 km). The warhead detonated with a yield of 1.45 Mt. This was the Starfish Prime
  Starfish Prime
  Starfish Prime was a high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the United States of America on July 9, 1962, a joint effort of the Atomic Energy Commission and the Defense Atomic Support Agency . Launched via a Thor rocket and carrying a W49 thermonuclear warhead and a Mk...
  
   event of nuclear test operation Dominic-Fishbowl
  Operation Dominic I and II
  Operation Dominic was a series of 105 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1962 by the United States. Those conducted in the Pacific are sometimes called Dominic I. The blasts in Nevada are known as Dominic II. This test series was scheduled quickly, in order to take advantage of the Soviet...
  
  
• In the same series in 1962: Checkmate, Bluegill, Kingfish, and Tightrope

The Soviet Union tested a number of nuclear explosives on rockets as part of their development of a localised anti-ballistic missile

Anti-ballistic missile

An anti-ballistic missile is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles .A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter...

 system in the 1960s.

List of most powerful nuclear tests

The following incomplete list contains nuclear tests conducted with a yield of over 10 Mt TNT.

Date	Yield	Test mode	Country	Test Site	Remarks
October 30, 1961	50 Mt	air-drop	Soviet Union	Novaya Zemlya Novaya Zemlya Novaya Zemlya is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe at Cape Zhelaniya...	Tsar Bomba Tsar Bomba Tsar Bomba , literally "Tsar-bomb", is the nickname for the AN602 hydrogen bomb — the largest, most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated, and currently the most powerful explosive ever detonated in human history.Developed by the Soviet Union, the bomb was originally designed to have a yield of...
December 24, 1962	24.2 Mt	air-drop	Soviet Union	Novaya Zemlya
August 5, 1961	21.1 Mt	air-drop	Soviet Union	Novaya Zemlya
September 25, 1962	19.1 Mt	air-drop	Soviet Union	Novaya Zemlya
February 28, 1954	15 Mt	ground	USA	Bikini Atoll Bikini Atoll Bikini Atoll is an atoll in one of the Micronesian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands. It consists of 23 islands surrounding a lagoon...	Castle Bravo Castle Bravo Castle Bravo was the code name given to the first U.S. test of a dry fuel thermonuclear hydrogen bomb device, detonated on March 1, 1954, at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, by the United States, as the first test of Operation Castle...
May 5, 1954	13.5 Mt	sea surface	USA	Bikini Atoll	Castle Yankee Castle Yankee Castle Yankee was the code name given to one of the tests in the Operation Castle series of American nuclear tests.-Jughead:Yankee was originally intended to be a test of a simplified and lightened bomb version of the large and complex cryogenic device tested in Ivy Mike...
October 23, 1961	12.5 Mt	air-drop	Soviet Union	Novaya Zemlya
March 26, 1954	11 Mt	sea surface	USA	Bikini Atoll	Castle Romeo Castle Romeo Castle Romeo was the code name given to one of the tests in the Operation Castle series of American nuclear tests. It was the first test of the TX-17 thermonuclear weapon , the first deployed U.S...
November 1, 1952	10.4 Mt	ground	USA	Eniwetok	Ivy Mike Ivy Mike Ivy Mike was the codename given to the first United States nuclear test of a fusion device, in which a major part of the explosive yield came from nuclear fusion. It was detonated on November 1, 1952 by the United States at on Enewetak, an atoll in the Pacific Ocean, as part of Operation Ivy...
September 27, 1962	10 Mt	air-drop	Soviet Union	Novaya Zemlya

Sources: http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Russia/Sovatmtest.html

External links

• United States Nuclear Tests July 1945 through September 1992
• Australian Government — Geoscience Australia — database of nuclear explosions since 1945
• Video archive of nuclear weapon testing