Author: Em Cochran

By Em Cochran Nuclear weapons have sparked fascination and often fear in Americans since before the Cold War. From comics and cartoons of nuclear superheroes to the nuances of the current conflict in Ukraine, American media has explored the topic in depth. Despite this myriad of information, the basic history of nuclear weapons is sometimes forgotten.  Two types of nuclear bombs exist–– fission and fusion weapons. While fission nuclear weapons split an atom’s nucleus into smaller nuclei, fusion nuclear weapons, also called hydrogen bombs, combine smaller nuclei into a larger nucleus to produce far more energy. The mass destruction caused by nuclear weapons and the associated nuclear waste can be harmful to both humans and the environment.   Nuclear weapons have been around for eig...