What Nuclear Testing Left Behind

From the Trinity test in July 1945 to the final detonation in 1992, the United States conducted more than 1,000 nuclear tests—leaving behind radioactive fallout, contaminated lands, and generations of health consequences.

This video uncovers the hidden story of America’s nuclear testing program: the Pacific Proving Grounds in the Marshall Islands, the infamous Castle Bravo disaster, the Nevada Test Site, and the lasting impact on “downwinders” and indigenous communities. We’ll explore how fallout spread across the United States and beyond, the science behind radiation exposure, and the global movement that brought atmospheric testing to an end.

You’ll learn about:
The Trinity test and the birth of the Atomic Age (1945)
Bikini Atoll & Operation Crossroads naval experiments (1946)
Castle Bravo: the 15-megaton fallout disaster (1954)
The Nevada Test Site & radioactive clouds over America
Fallout, food contamination, and the “downwinder” tragedy
Health impacts: cancer, birth defects & radiation sickness
The Partial Test Ban Treaty (1963) and underground testing
The end of U.S. nuclear testing in 1992 & lasting legacies