Six decades after the events, a series of unreleased videos has seen the light of day: four atomic explosions carried out by the United States in 1955, as part of Operation Teapot.
The operation was a series of fourteen nuclear test explosions carried out at the Nevada Test Site early that year, designed to further develop tactics for ground forces and improve America’s nuclear arsenal. Teapot was sanctioned by President Dwight Eisenhower in August 1954.

Bombs with low to moderate yields were tested to assess innovations implemented by the US, as it sought a new pattern fission device – a design that would be seen in later generations of weapons.

The new devices were meant for broad strategic applications, including air defense and anti-submarine warfare. A later test in 1956, called Operation Redwing would also see a more compact and lighter generation of nuclear weapons tested.

There is something awe-inspiring and incredibly eerie about witnessing a mushroom cloud in HD. The YouTube portal Atom Central, which is obsessed with nuclear history and atomic bombs, know this.