Oppenheimer’s Shadow: What If a Nuclear War Started Today?

the last World War was ended by a nuclear bomb but could the next World War be started by one this upcoming scenario is fictional and ultimately unlikely but that doesn't mean that we're talking about the impossible Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine has put the world on edge you may have even asked yourself are we headed toward nuclear war will I be safe the terrifying truth is that if World War III were to start today no one would be a nuclear bomb detonates over Washington D.C less than one second after impact the center of the Warhead reaches temperatures of approximately 200 million degrees Fahrenheit that's about four times hotter than the surface of the Sun a ball of air forms expanding at speeds reaching millions of miles per hour even though after one second its temperature has now cooled to a still scorching 16 000 degrees Fahrenheit it now looks like a giant Fireball around a mile in diameter over 400 000 people lose their lives instantly and a further 370 000 people are seriously injured after five seconds the bomb's horrifying Fireball now stretches over a kilometer in every direction for anyone or anything in range there's simply No Escape this is what you would likely experience where you to find yourself in Washington DC during World War III it might seem like something out of a sci-fi movie or maybe a World War II documentary but recent events have rendered scenarios like this entirely possible on the 24th of February 2022 Russian forces invaded Ukraine majorly escalating the russo-ukrainian conflict this move would go on to have hugely significant repercussions including displacing over seven million people causing a global food shortage and bringing on the deaths of an estimated 38 thousand people if Russia were to go one step further and use a nuclear weapon against Ukraine who comes to Ukraine's Aid the United States is currently the largest provider of assistance to Ukraine so America and its allies such as the United Kingdom and France would come to the defense of the now nuked Ukraine they make up formidable foes for Russia but backing up Putin are China and North Korea between all of these nations split over both sides they are a total of around 14 000 nuclear weapons to make this even more terrifying Vladimir Putin has actually vowed to use Russia's weapons of mass destruction should the territory become threatened since the invasion began the United Nations among other organizations have condemned Russia's actions nuclear war could become unavoidable and that scenario is what we're about to explore let's imagine that the USA retaliates against Russia's attack on Ukraine they do so using a nuclear weapon of their own but just how devastating would one of these nuclear bombs actually be we can compare the nuclear weapons of 2022 to those that put an end to the second world war in 1945 the United States initiated the surrender of the Japanese Armed Forces by dropping a 15 kiloton atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima deviously dubbed little boy this bomb resulted in the deaths of over 100 000 people after the United States dropped a second nuclear bomb just a few days later Japan surrendered to this day these incidents are the only times in which nuclear bombs have been used in Conflict now little boy is in fact little by today's standards where nukes are concerned Russia is estimated to currently have nearly 6 000 nuclear warheads in their Arsenal the largest of which is an 800 kiloton bomb so let's go back to Washington D.C where that nuclear warhead has just erupted and fire is engulfing everything in its path every living thing within the blast radius is vaporized and even people standing 10 kilometers or around six miles away suffer third degree burns from the blast's thermal radiation the immense heat from the fire gives birth to many more fires in surrounding areas after 10 seconds 300 mile an hour winds carry the extreme heat out of ground zero after 10 minutes the smaller fires join forces to create one gigantic Unstoppable wall of flames Washington DC is engulfed temperatures are hot enough to melt concrete and for those people seeking shelter we're afraid it's too late the Blast has decimated all buildings in the city exposing those inside to the incredible heat the Fearsome Firestorm rages for six hours radioactive fallout begins there is no no person Left Alive within three miles of the blast but the fire itself now covers an area of around 100 miles after two days the fire has slowed but the pavement is still too hot for vehicles to drive on any survivors left from the blast now have to fight the horrors of radiation poisoning many will die of severe sickness over the coming weeks radiation is also a long-term concern some hot spots in the surrounding area actually remain dangerous for up to five years after the blast and then there are those who make it out without any serious life-altering injuries to the naked eye at least years after exposure many will lose their sight many will die from cancer and thanks to the now unavoidable poor living conditions and lack of cleanliness diseases like pneumonia infectious hepatitis and dysentery will claim the lives of many more this scenario is for one city hit by one nuclear bomb but even if these nukes were dropping all around the planet there must be somewhere that you could keep safe so you're looking to escape the chaos of World War III say no more how does sipping cocktails on a Sandy Beach sound sultry swims between picturesque Islands Fiji has all this and more and given its location over 1 000 miles off the coast of New Zealand it's unlikely that any world power would come looking to invade even during a World War there's no reason to worry about running out of food either you have unlimited access to the ocean so as long as you aren't allergic to Seafood your wartime worries are over and while hiding out from the battles might be making the best of a bad situation but let's be clear it's not going to make the bad situation go away after Russia's nuclear bomb leaves America's capital as an unrecognizable collection of Ash and destruction the United States would almost certainly retaliate with a nuclear weapon of its own this risks escalating the conflict but the U.S may have little Choice as missiles batter countries from all sides nukes annihilate much of the planet we now arrive at the beginning of the end of the world the global economy collapses many of the technologies that we currently take for granted cease to exist social media instant messaging even email are relegated to pre-war pastimes many places run out of food people starve and millions are killed in missile strikes remember those horrible effects of nuclear fallout well Millions die in the aftermath of similar attacks those who do manage to survive the few weeks possibly months of world war now live in a society severely lacking in medical care and Equipment cyber attacks shut down entire communication systems infrastructure crumbles and the world is plunged back in time to the Middle Ages World War III remains unlikely to happen all sides are fully aware that there would be no way to de escalate such a conflict so let's keep our fingers crossed that world leaders can cling to these poignant words from one of the last Century's most impactful Minds I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones Albert Einstein Wars have always left Devastation in their wake but World War III may leave nothing behind this is a fictional scenario there is no way to accurately predict what would happen whether that fact is a scary truth or one with which you can take comfort that decision will remain up to you

Channel: Dramative

Views: 13,518

Keywords: Society, Informative, Science, NJCDMTS1E005, Oppenheimer, nuclear, war, russia, ukraine

Id: PHyABQxv9JI

Length: 8min 15sec (495 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 14 2023