Table of Contents
Today we will be entering the dark realm of devastation and destruction and witnessing the terrifying energy unleashed by humans on themselves. Yes, you heard it right. We will be covering the bizarre, most destructive weapons that humankind has ever produced.
Nuclear Bomb
Aka:- Ruthless, Unhuman force
The first-ever nuclear bombs introduced to the world were LITTLE BOY and FAT MAN. These are the same bombs that were bombarded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 which concluded world war 2 with a devastating end. For the first time, the world saw how cataclysmic this weapon could be for humankind.
It was developed under Julius Robert Oppenheimer and hence he is also known as the father of the atomic bomb.
The effect of these bombs was so much high than expected that Oppenheimer even felt a sense of guilt for being the creator of such cataclysmic weapons.
Fortunately, this was the first and last time it was ever used in a war. But it is not the most powerful nuclear bomb that we ever encountered. Following the path of the United States, U.S.S.R tested the most powerful nuclear bomb named as Tsar Bomb , which took the world to heaven and got back.
To give you an idea about how powerful and impactful the Tsar bomb (Tsar Bomba) was, The FAT MAN exploded in Nagasaki was 21 kilotons capacity. While Tsar had a capacity of 100 megatons but testing such a capacity was too dangerous. So they brought it down to 50 megatons for testing. And too was 3800 times more than the Hiroshima attack.
Here is a Tsar bomb testing video released by Russia
Just for your information, It is been projected that the Nuclear weapon that we have today is many more times powerful than any nuclear bombs in past. And thus it makes it more difficult to visualize it even when these were only so powerful.
Chemical Weapon
According to the chemical weapon convention, A Chemical weapon is any toxic chemical that can cause the death of masses through its effect on the life processes. This means as soon as it enters the body it will start a reaction making harm to the body organs, eventually causing death.
There are four types of chemical agents used in a chemical weapon namely Choking, Blisters, Blood, and Nerve agents. These agents are responsible for causing damage to the body in different ways.
It was developed by the Novel prize winner, German scientist Fritz Haber back in 1915 during World War 1. And just to clarify he didn’t receive the Nobel Prize for inventing a chemical weapon but for a process used in industry to synthesize Ammonia from Nitrogen and Hydrogen gases, also known as the Haber-Bosch process.
Agent Orange
During the Vietnam War, the US Army had to face several damages by the North Vietnam Army. It was due to their guerrilla tactics and the dense forest of Vietnam that the US Army isn’t habituated to. So to make things feasible, the US decided to use Agent Orange.
Agent Orange is a highly toxic herbicide that consists of two chemicals 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). The purpose of Agent Orange was to defoliate the forest (shedding the leaves of forest trees). And prevent the Vietnamese soldiers from hiding.
However, the most dangerous part about Agent Orange was dioxin. Dioxin is a by-product that gets produced by burning chlorine with hydrogen and carbon. It can cause severe health issues like reproductive disorders in both males and females, birth defects in children, as well as critical illnesses such as cancer.
The Effect of Agent Orange not only had an impact on the Vietnamese people but also on the American soldiers. As per the report, the USA spread over 11.22 million gallons of Agent Orange in the course of 6 years.
The war got ended decades back but the contaminated soil, crops, overall environment, and the long-lasting list of health problems are left behind for the Vietnamese to suffer.
Napalm Weapons
Conventional bombs needed pinpoint accuracy to destroy the target, Americans often drop several bombs and hope one hits the target. But with Napalm weapons, they could burn entire areas within a single drop elevating the fire flames up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Napalm was a highly inflammable sticky substance that can stick anywhere and burns everything that comes its way for a very longer time. Thus Napalm being an infamous weapon during World War 2 has left an inevitable mark in the history of destructive weapons ever produced by Humankind.
Its use in the Vietnam War was full of condemnation due to the horrifying effect faced on Innocents. Describing the long-lasting trauma of Napalm isn’t easy. From painful physical wounds to psychological damage that may haunt the survivors for a lifetime.
Here is a short story about a lady who got recognized as a Napalm girl in the entire world.
White Phosphorous
The next most destructive weapon on our list is White Phosphorous. This incendiary substance has been used in warfare to create devasting fires that are difficult to extinguish.
White Phosphorous by nature is kept within a liquid such as water for it to be stable. But as soon as it is brought out of the water, it starts to react with oxygen in the air. The reaction leads to heavy smoke and fires instantly. This property of white phosphorous makes it difficult to extinguish and can cause heavy burns to victims.
The use of White Phosphorous has raised concerns due to its indiscriminate nature between solider and civilians causing potential harm. But the use is still not prohibited and continues to be a part of some or the other war attack.
Flamethrowers
Flamethrowers were first introduced during World War 1. It’s a gun-like device that throws intense flame to a good distance. Engulfing the entire area in the flames, and causing severe damage to opponents. The heat coming from flamethrowers could be so high that it can even burn the concrete and melt the metals.
Just like a few other weapons we saw on our list, it not only damages physically but also causes mental trauma to those unfortunate victims.
The good part is that Flamethrowers are banned to be used in warfare and were limited to the era of world war 1 and 2. Substantially they hold a good place in the most destructive weapons human have ever produced.
Biological Weapons
A biological attack is one of the deadliest types of destruction anyone can think of. These weapons harness the power of pathogens such as bacteria, and viruses to spread out massive destruction.
Scientists develop and modify these pathogens in such a way that they become very contagious, And garner a high degree of effectiveness. It’s been said you can have ample fights with others, but fighting against your body is impossible. That’s why Biological weapons are considered very unhuman and disastrous.
The use of these weapons is spread throughout the history. During World War 2, Japan experimented with biological weapons by infecting people with deadly diseases such as Anthrax and Bubonic Plague also called as Black Death.
The worst part about Biological weapons is unlike other deadly weapons, Biological weapons are difficult to identify. Thus irrespective of international treaties which are banning the use of pathogenic weapons, it’s not an easy task to identify whether they have really stopped such programs.
That’s how technology can be beneficial and destructive at the same time.
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