Dinki: What a colossal waste of human effort and money,

Whats missing from these is the context. The 1950s/1960s US were convinced if we didn't keep testing, the commies would get ahead and pass us. By the 1970s testing was used as all kind of a bargaining chip back and forth during the cold war; various treaties were set up to "limit" or "stop" what was by now being called "strategic bombing." SALT, SALT II, START, I forget, every year or 2 there was another big deal treaty. Looking at the map, you strip all the context out and instead see a buncha bombs all being blown up.

Would not have wanted to be a whale in the south pacific.

Was completely unaware of the UK bomb in Nevada, that was kind of weird to see.

Was funny how many France had. Like they finally found a way to compete with the world without having it actually amount to needing to win at anything. Perfect.

In the end what did it buy us? Maybe 60 years of non world war? That was the thinking at the time. Mutually Assured Destruction meant as long as us and the commies kept armed to the teeth, the other would not be able to launch an attack. It was as widely mocked as ridiculous then as it was also considered essential. Just depended what side of the peacenik fence you were on.

// For we who grew up tall and proud. In the shadow of the mushroom cloud