A total of 210,000 died from the nuclear bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945, according to the Huffington Post. Some believe that if a full-scale nuclear war occured, it would be the end of humanity.
“I’ve seen clips of the bombing,” sophomore Timmy Xiang said.
“The aftermath boggles my mind.”
According to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Cold War History Society (SPCWHS), the USA and Soviet Union came close to nuclear war. The American government even had a plan during the Cold War to fly the president in the Air Force One during any nuclear attack.
Even though the standoff between the two countries is over, the threat has not disappeared.
“I don’t think the U.S. or Russia ever wanted to annihilate the rest of the world,” SPCWHS member Eleanor O’Rangers said. “I’m more concerned with countries with less than rational leaders.”
According to O’Rangers, the Cold War didn’t escalate due to neither country wanting to start a war. However, countries such as North Korea are testing weapons and have made threats of attacks.
“They are a government that may need to prove their superiority” Government Teacher Chip Crow said. “They may do so with military presence.”
If these countries ever managed to spark a worldwide nuclear war, many fear that it would be an extinction-level event.
“All the mass destruction could wipe out most, if not all species,” sophomore Zach Beckmann said.