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Which countries tested fission weapons after the United States?
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atomic bomb
The first atomic bomb test, near Alamogordo, New Mexico, July 16, 1945.
Following the United States' first successful test in 1945, several other nations developed and tested their own fission weapons. The countries that conducted their first nuclear tests after the United States are listed below in chronological order:
- Soviet Union: 194912
- United Kingdom: 195212
- France: 196012
- China: 196412
- India: 197412
- Pakistan: 199812
- North Korea: 200612
While other nations, such as South Africa, also produced nuclear devices, they later dismantled them. The development of these weapons represents a significant shift in global security, as the proliferation of fission technology—which relies on the splitting of heavy atomic nuclei—fundamentally altered the nature of international conflict and nuclear strategy.132