The Castle Bravo Disaster - A "Second Hiroshima" 

Thanks for watching the latest “Half-Life History.” As usual, let me know what you think of the new format - more of these to come!

This left me crying a little bit. In college, my Japanese film history professor said to us, "it's something to think about that exposure to radiation creates superheroes in America and monsters in Japan."

"As soon as the war ended, we located the one spot on earth that hadn't been touched by the war and blew it to hell." - Bob Hope

Imagine trying to build the most inconceivably powerful bomb imaginable... only to react to its detonation with, "Holy shit, that was way too damn powerful."

- Did you care for the islands' inhabitants? - No, not atoll 😑

Two words that should never _ever_ be said together: "acceptable fallout"

when you're dealing with a topic like this, "until next time" is a horrifying phrase to end on.

I grew up on the east COAST of Australia and as a kid I cried and had nightmares about this explosion, about the Marshallese and the 'jelly' babies they gave birth to, without bones, and the horror that they would never go home. It was my greatest nightmare for many years.

This feels like a case of something going horribly "right." They got the results they wanted, then got too much of the results they wanted. Far too much.

“The test, was supposed to remain a secret.” How the fuck do you keep a nuclear explosion a secret?

My former landlord was AT this test. His body was riddled with cancer for years. He's still alive by some miracle.

Fascinating! My dad was stationed on Eniwetok during the Castle Bravo test (and others). While years later he was concerned about what radiation exposure he might have received, this year (2023) he turns 91 and looks and acts like he is 10 years younger.

Crazy how Castle Bravo instantly turned a paradise into a living hell.

These stories are honestly scarier than most horror films.

Imagine seeing a second sun rise on the horizon and hearing literal doom and being like, “yeah let’s keep fishing.”

Revisiting this playlist after watching Oppenheimer. Kyle's videos fills you with such unimaginable eerie feeling that i almost feel numb for good 15 minutes after. Absolute Masterpiece.

I like how they tried to keep Castle Bravo a secret, as if you could hide a 15 Megaton Blast from anyone 💀

“The test was supposed to be a secret” Ah yes, the VERY SECRET *15 MEGATON NUCLEAR BOMB EXPLOSION*

Imagine being those fisherman minding your own business then all of a sudden BAM you’re a blind, feel like you’re on fire, and hear the loudest sound of your life all in a few seconds

Re-watching this masterpiece after 2 years and oh man I appreciate the brilliant work Kyle has done even more!

I just saw the other day ago that video time-lapse of all nuclear weapons tests, and I was completely overwhelmed by the fact that not a few, not a dozen, not a hundred - but thousands of tests were done by the governments of the US, USSR, France, and UK. Now that I've seen this video as well, I got a history lesson that our schools don't teach. I appreciate it! ❤

My grandfather was present at the Bikini Atoll during this testing. He was on a destroyer. He had documents and everything. He described seeing the bones of his hands through closed eyes when the blast detonated.

Today, it was reported that Mr. Oishi, a former crew member of the Lucky Dragon No. 5, died on March 7. Many Japanese are grateful for the videos you made. thank you, Mr. Hill. from tokyo.

The footage of the explosion and subsequent fireball/mushroom cloud is jaw droppingly beautiful but viciously deadly at the same time. It's a weird feeling, a beautiful juxtaposition when you see a nuclear explosion, incredible awe in one hand, visceral shock in the other hand.

Castle Bravo was not the first thermonuclear explosion. The first was Ivy Mike on November 1, 1952.

Note: If white stuff starts to fall from the sky in a place where it usually doesn't snow, *_DO NOT PICK IT UP AND LICK IT._*

interesting fact: Godzilla's skin or scales were inspired by radiation burns from Hiroshima and the victims of the Castle Bravo test. And the opening scene of the 1954 film with the fishing boat is a reference to this incident.

I've watched several videos of the Operation Castle series of nuclear tests. All of them were intense. But it was the Bravo shot that was frightening - for the reasons you elucidate, and for those documenting the shot. There were a group of observers in a concrete bunker at the other end of the atoll from Bravo who immediately knew something was drastically wrong. The story of their survival and rescue is worthy of a video in itself. Good information Kyle. This was a comprehensive and intelligent video.

That "Danger, No Smoking" sign next to a nuclear device must be some kind of an internal joke.

Finally someone on RU-vid telling a story in a normal voice

One of the darkest moments in human history. Oh how mankind with all its ‘knowledge’ destroys every living thing on this beautiful earth

I've been to Hiroshima and visited the museum at ground zero, it's absolutely horrendous what happened there. There are burnt toys of children on display, and you learn that that's all what's left of them. Thousands of people burning to death. Shadows on walls in the shapes of people, rags of clothing. Children dying.... It truly left me in shock how someone was willing to commit such atrocities on anyone. I can't imagine the suffering and pain that people who survived went through

It's fascinating how nuclear bombs have so often been underestimated in intensity by the very people who built them.

"Castle Bravo is such a cool name for anythi-oh...oh now I'm sad"

Kyle you are extremely good at breaking these stories and the science down to an understandable level for people who have not studied science past high school. I'm very impressed, thanks for being so intentional about how you break things down!

"The test was supposed to be a secret." If this wasn't so serious, this would be uproariously funny.

I really like these kind of “mini documentary’s” keep up the great content Kyle

Ivy Mike was the first thermonuclear bomb test nov 1st 1952. Castle Bravo march 1 1954

Listening to you describe the sailors touching the ash and licking it had my skin crawling. I just kept saying “no no no” Very well done story telling and pacing. It’s sad what happened to these people.

“It was the worst atomic disaster in American history” SUDDEN AD BREAK “Noooooo! Quick, get bounty, the quicker picker upper!”

It's the middle of the night here. Quiet, not the slightest sound anywhere aside of my table clock ticking. In this environment, this video felt like a therapy for calling my mind also kinda creepy. Huge thanks to Kyle Hill. I absolutely loved it.

I adore these videos. There's zero fat on your content, it's all interesting and informative from beginning to end.

I can’t believe Godzilla and SpongeBob have something in common. That is bonkers. The disaster terrifies me greatly but it’s an important story to tell. Assumptions lead to foolish decisions. Don’t underestimate nuclear power.

I explained to my students that a thermonuclear bomb is effectively like creating a small star on the planet Earth for a few seconds. Hydrogen to Helium, just like the Sun. Of course the reaction is unstable and unsustainable...which is for the best honestly.

Mr. President, we're proud to announce that Castle Bravo was a 250% success.

“Second Hiroshima” Nagasaki: am I a joke to you?

so happy i found your channel been binge watching your videos the past few nights been looking forward to bed time so i can prop up the phone and listen to these awesome story’s

My father was one of the lucky sailors there. He died in 2019. He had had many surgeries to remove cancer. They removed the right side of his thyroid glands and about a year later the left side. He had a tumor removed from behind his right eye. He was 22 when he was at the test. In the 50s they gave Potassium Iodide to the soldiers at the Nevada tests. The Iodide would fill their thyroid glands to prevent absorption of radiation. They didn't give it to the sailors at this test because they thought that they were far enough away. I said my father was one of the lucky ones and he was. He lived to be 87. Most of the people there didn't live to a very old age. My father loved America and his home state of North Carolina. He held no hard feelings about all these issues with his health and cancer. He was made aware (by his doctors) that the test was the likely cause of the cancers. He served in the Navy for 24 years and retired as a Chief Petty officer. I don't care if anyone believes this or not. I just want people to understand that there were people who lived a long time and went through a lot of surgeries, treatments and chemotherapy because of this 'Test'. Yall Take Care and be safe, John

For those wondering, the fireball could be seen from almost exactly one Ohio away

7:57 a big reason cancer rates shot up was that before the testing, the islanders didn’t have many carcinogens. In Hiroshima and the western US, people exposed to fallout smoked and were exposed to various carcinogens at work, like DDT, benzene, and asbestos. All that combined to make cancer cases caused by the bombs almost indistinguishable from the background noise.

This is probably the best documentary I've seen, even tho it's short, on the potential of nuclear weapons. I was born into the age of duck and cover and had an uncle who was one of the sailors at the post bomb exposure, even swimming in the lagoon. I learned a lot from this. Thank you

In light of the whole ordeal, "The Lucky Dragon" has to be the most ironic name for a ship I've ever heard.

My Grandpa witnessed this test along with operation Ivy. He was a radarman on the USS Curtiss from 1951-1954. When the bombs dropped (edit: I know now it was a remote detonation, nothing was dropped) he said his vision was completely white, even when turned around with his face shielded. He recounted seeing palm trees, dirt, water, etc being flung into the air. Unfortunately he died in 1979 from stomach cancer, I never met him. Many of the people who witnessed these tests had cancer later in life, the casualties from this test were not all immediate. Anyway this video made me think, he got a double dose of nuclear bomb radiation over the course of 2 years. Crazy.

I studied this my whole senior year at university of Washington, with holly barker, these people have not recovered, their genetics have changed and their way of life will never be the same.

Real big fan of these videos with a more laidback storytelling. And the way you present the information is phenomenal. I hope you make more videos like this.

"The second Hiroshima" Nagasaki: Excuse me?

Fun fact: one of the larger, if not the largest, displaced groups of Marshallese ended up in Springdale, AR. About the furthest thing from a pacific island chain you could imagine.

6:26 "Acceptible fallout" Whoever made that call should have gone to prison.

The starter for the bomb was like that at Nagasaki, the Hiroshima device was a uranium bullet, which was a compression device.

"Every effort was made to assure the comfort and well-being of the natives." Months earlier... "Sir, it may not be comforting nor good for the well being of the natives to detonate the bomb near their island. Should we make an effort to choose a different location?" "No."

so - at 6 minute mark - the commander had ample time to postpone the test and wait for favorable winds.....and he chose to continue, costing the US millions and the lives and health of the natives. Nice work, Congrats.

Fantastic narration and well done documentary. I learned quite a bit.

Moral of the story? If you ever encounter mysterious "falling, snow-like dust" ... do not "take a lick."

I am a Radiation Protection Technologist and have worked in US Nuclear plants since 1974. The man who gave me my first training at that time was in charge of radiation protection for the Navy during this test (not the bomb, but the measurement and control of the exposure from the blast and fallout on the naval vessels in the area.) I heard this story back then along with some interesting descriptions of what happened on the navy ships that were in the area. Needless to say, no one was prepared for what really happened. We learned a lot from this and other tests that went...better. This was a pop gun compared to some devices that have been developed since. Please don't make the foolish mistake of comparing nuclear bombs to nuclear power. They have very little to do with each other. We could not make one of our nuclear plants explode like that if we were desperate to do so.

hard to tell this is the same guy that makes all those funny, lighthearted and cheery science videos. very solemn and respectful, i applaud that

@kylehill. Astonishingly good documentary Kyle. I wish our MSM were as bold and honest as you are.

I know it’s just one detail of a greater atrocity, but idea of so thoroughly defiling a habitat and community that there is now Cesium-137 in the milk inside coconuts is just appalling. That really struck me.

You know, the statistic "as much energy as all the bombs the Allies dropped in WW2 combined" is supposed to make the Castle Bravo explosion look huge (and it does), but it really gives a scale of strategic bombing. They dropped nuclear levels of explosive one dumb iron bomb at a time using prop driven bombers. Insane.

Most evil oxymoron ever: "acceptable fallout"

Outstanding. When Castle Bravo is mentioned in my house, one line inevitably follows: "Who knew Lithium-7 could fuse?" I did have to stop at point in the video, I thought you said Selenium-141. Do what? No way! I can't believe...oh CERIUM-141. Silly me.

My grandfather was part of the coast guard that was tasked with setting up the buoys deployed to measure the explosion. My dad talks about his fathers recollection of the events often, since my grandfather died of cancer about ten years after Castle Bravo

Japan: castle bravo was like a second Hiroshima People of Nagasaki: ....

Imagine being a fish chillin on the coral reef then just being evaporated

Glad they were able to understand better how to control detonations after this. It was a very educative experience for everyone. Now we have ultra-miniaturized dial a yield 3+ stage thermonuclear devices.

I just had to rewatch this with my wife. Your videos age better than the finest wine.

The tragic irony of that ship being called “the lucky dragon“ is just baffling.

Outside the Wire makes even more sense now, "it's just collateral"

6:02 The Bikini Atoll from above looks a lot like the original layout of Silverstone racetrack.

Worth mentioning, Linus Pauling was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 for his work against nuclear testing. Ava, his wife, should've gotten half the prize IMO. Joseph Rotblat was awarded the prize in 1995 (not '55). We need more brave scientists like these now more than ever. Great piece!

It's impressive how by studying history one can learn just how much government lies about anything. It is the only constant, yet, none believes it is happening when history is current day...

My grandpa was there and saw it. His name is Ron Yoxsimer, and is still alive surprisingly, and still is very healthy at 89 years old.

Here after watching Oppenheimer such a great movie !!! Really shows how insane nuclear weapons are.

"原水爆の犠牲者は、わたしを最後にしてほしい。"- 久保山 愛吉 Translation: "I want to be the last victim of the atomic and hydrogen bombs." - Aikichi Kuboyama

My uncle (or rather, the man who would've been my uncle) was one of the many British soldiers that was present for the nuclear bomb detonations in the Pacific. I never got to meet him and ask him about it as apparently he died young of a cancer caused by the radiation he was exposed to.

Scientist reporting back to top brass: "I have good news and bad news. The good news: Our bomb design is more efficient than we thought. The bad news: The bomb was more efficient than we thought."

FYI, Ivy Mike was the first fusion bomb, castle bravo was the second

This is excellent work. You really are an exceptional science educator.

Other people: "I like serial killer documentaries." Me: "I prefer nuclear weapons documentaries."

My uncle (my dad's brother) was a scientist that was exposed to radiation during the test. He died in 1960 of leukemia caused from that exposure.

This atomic disaster lead to one of my favorite film franchises, Godzilla and in turn, I started researching about Castle Bravo

👏🏼 Great video production and narration.

"Lucky" Dragon. Man, people need to stop naming stuff that gives the Universe an excuse to be ironic.

My father saw this while in the Navy. He never said much about it, but Mom said it affected him badly, especially as it was classified for decades. He started developing skin cancers, not melanoma, but all sorts of odd growths, on his arms and hands.

My favorite part of this nuclear physics is how humans aren’t the only ones who can create nuclear reactors. There was a natural reactor back in the pre-human days that we found

Fun fact. My grandfather was working in far north Queensland here in Australia and was a seismologist and as he said "for fun" he decided to tale a seismograph machine with him as he was going to be in the rainforest in a shack he had built by hand and which I own now. At the time he was on holidays but still liked to keep an eye on the earthquakes that happen here in Australia more than most people realise. When they detonated "castle bravo" it registered on his seismograph and he had a ham radio set up (which I own and still world with the antenna's he built 😁), in his words "I was sitting in my rainforest cabin smoking my tobacco pipe having a chat to a radio operator in Guam when suddenly the seismograph started registering what looked like an earthquake but slightly different. The chap I was talking to had his single wiped out by an unusual noise the likes I had never heard before. I contacted the the seismology department down south and had a talk to then even I was in cairns and they told me they would debrief me when I was not on my holidays" I was a lot younger when my pop died but this was one thing I was really interested in but sadly I had a learning difficulty when I grew up so I did not have the capacity to persue a career in geoscience. He said later on that america and all those countries that conduct those tests were never sure what might happen every single time they detonated those weapons. And he also detected the tsar bomba when it was detonated. His only wish was that those scientists and others like th would stop playing god and stop the tests and destroy all nuclear weapons.

The problem was that when the Soviets heard of this they basically said challenge accepted.

17:50...imagine seeing that outside your plane's window.

Kyle, the first test of a thermonuclear device was Ivy-Mike, yielding 10 megatons. Castle-Bravo came after it.

“Despite the death and horror, it wasn’t all that bad... SpongeBob...”

"Now I am become death the destroyer of worlds." ... gives me chills every time I hear the audio-clip.