5-3-2-1 Nuclear Tests in the Marshall Islands

U.S. hydrogen bomb test - Bravo explosion
March 1, 1954 Marshall Islands
Collection of U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Courtesy of Daigo Fukuryumaru Foundation Inc.

Beginning in 1946 the United States used the Marshall Islands as a permanent site for repeated test explosions of atomic and hydrogen bombs. After the largest hydrogen bomb test, codenamed "Bravo," which was conducted on the Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954, "ashes of death" containing high levels of radiation poured down over areas outside the official danger zone. Residents of surrounding islands sustained burns and complained of vomiting, diarrhea and headache. Hair loss was also observed. Later, they suffered thyroid impairment, birth abnormalities and other disorders.