The Day The Bomb Went Off Summary

In the article, “The Day the Bomb Went Off,” Knoll and Postol argue nuclear bombs are catastrophic. The event of a nuclear attack would send humans back to the stone age, and put a halt on any technological advances. Furthermore, the effects of radiation would harm the population within a broad radius of a nuclear explosion. Readers may wonder what America would do under nuclear attack, and draw the conclusion nuclear bombs would destroy everything our society has accomplished.
To begin with, nuclear bombs decimate their surroundings without mercy. Buildings, metal structures, and humongous amounts of land immediately evaporate to form a titanic crater at Ground Zero (Knoll and Postol 16, 19). This amount of damage proves the reversal of a nuclear explosion is unfeasible. Such an event puts the effort fixed on creating a populous city to waste. Along with damaging land, Knoll and Postol state the upper atmosphere would be “reduced” by harmful compounds emitted from the mushroom cloud (Knoll and Postol 16). Without a sufficient ozone layer to protect the Earth, harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun can cause cell damage in
humans and animals.
Also, the article provides evidence stating nuclear bombs and their after effects are harmful to human beings.
Civilians fortunate enough to find haven underground soon found demise once the aftershock of a nuclear bomb blew hot winds “down vents and tunnels,” which smothered the survivors (Knoll and Postol 17). This shows no safe place exists when in the vicinity of a nuclear attack. Once the initial damage of a nuclear bomb and its aftershock pass, those far enough away to survive suffer the consequences of radiation poisoning. Knoll and Postol claim, “more serious symptoms are bloody diarrhea and urine caused by the spontaneous bleeding of the kidneys and intestines. Bleeding may also occur from the gums and lips” (Knoll and Postol 20). Radiation poisoned victims would likely have difficulty receiving the necessary medical treatment to
survive. Thus, if a large-scale nuclear attack were to occur, America would not be able to persevere. One could argue nuclear bombs pose a threat to society. “Imagine that it happened” (Knoll and Postol 16). The authors ask the reader to conceptualize a nuclear attack. If America’s infrastructure and government fell, turmoil would ensue, and experts say one nuclear bomb possesses the likelihood of annihilating the combined populace of a “metropolitan area” (Knoll and Postol 21). The article provides evidence of the imminent destruction which follows a nuclear attack. Radiation damage and its lasting effects also render the recovery from a nuclear attack impossible. In conclusion, Knoll and Postol want readers to know the true effects of nuclear explosions. One bomb could drastically affect America, and readers may agree such weapons should not exist. Imagine a life without resources: no medical care, no food, no electricity, and much more. The reality of nuclear bombs provides prospective of a life without the luxuries taken for granted by Americans. Truly, nuclear bombs are a catastrophic reality.