Today in Labor History January 31, 1950: President Truman ordered the development of thermonuclear weapons (Hydrogen bombs). The U.S. tested the first thermonuclear weapon in 1952. It was developed by Edward Teller. H-bombs consist of a nuclear fission primary stage, much like older atomic bombs. The fuel for this stage is usually 235U or 239Pu. This is followed by a nuclear fusion reaction using the heavy hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium. Modern thermonuclear weapons use lithium deuteride. The nuclear fission stage creates a temperature of over 100 million Kelvin (180 million degrees Fahrenheit), flooding the radiation channel with X-rays. The X-ray energy implodes a plutonium spark plug, compressing the secondary stage and driving the plutonium into a supercritical state that drives a fission chain reaction. The fission products heat the thermonuclear fuel to 300 million Kelvin, igniting the fusion reactions.

After Trump’s re-election as President of the U.S., the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists reset the Doomsday Clock to 89 seconds before midnight, the closest it has ever been to midnight. Closer than it was at the height of the Cold War. Closer than it was during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Closer than it was when Reagan joked that the U.S. had initiated an atomic attack on the USSR. Why? Because the clock is calibrated based on the threat of nuclear war, the climate crisis, the risks posed by AI, and the volatility and unpredictability of those with the fingers on the button, all of which have gotten worse with a 2nd Trump presidency. And on January 27, 2026, they reset it again to 85 seconds before midnight due, in part, to the intent to reintroduce explosive testing by the U.S. and its refusal to reestablish existing nuclear non-proliferation treaties.

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