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The device was tested at high altitude over Christmas Island
1957: Britain drops its first H-bomb
England have
Britain has exploded its first hydrogen bomb as part of a series of tests
in the Pacific, the Ministry of Supply has announced.
Details of the bomb, described only as a "nuclear device", are sketchy. The
term "device" indicates that it was an experimental explosive rather than a
fully developed weapon.
It was almost certainly part of the thermo-nuclear weapons programme which
was started in December 1954 to develop the megaton hydrogen bomb, which is as
powerful as one million tons of TNT.
The test was carried out at high altitude over the largely uninhabited
Christmas Island to minimise nuclear fall-out.
This is the most important range of tests carried out by Britain, developed
with limited resources and in a remarkably short space of time.
Scientists have taken two years to develop the tests compared with their
American counterparts who took seven years before exploding their first
device.
The bomb was dropped by a four-engined jet, Valiant of No 49 Squadron RAF
Bomber Command, normally based at RAF Wittering, Northants.
The Minister of Supply, Aubrey Jones, was informed of the Pacific nuclear
trials by Air Vice-Marshal WE Oulton, commander of the task force and WRJ Cook,
scientific director of the program.
Scientists are evaluating the results of the testing and will make a
further statement in the next few days.
Funerals took place one day after the Ma'alot school killings
1974: Teenagers die in Israeli school attack
Artificially 1969:
The
Sixteen teenagers have died along with three Palestinians holding them
hostage at an Israeli school.
Up to seven children were injured, nine critically, after Israeli troops
stormed the building in an attempt to free the youngsters in Ma'alot, five miles
(eight kilometres) from the Lebanese border.
As the troops entered the school the teenagers were reportedly attacked
with handgrenadesby the Palestinians. An Israeli soldier is also believed to
have died in the gun battle that followed.
Smoke could be seen pouring out of the windows as the Israeli soldiers
threw out furniture which they feared was booby-trapped.
Gang stormed school
It is thought that around 100 pupils aged between 14 and 16 were in the
school when the Palestinians stormed it in the early hours of this morning as
the teenagers slept.
Fifteen people, children and teachers, managed to escape. A teenage boy was
later sent out with a list of prisoners the hostage-takers wanted released in
Israel.
The Knesset, the Israeli parliament, met in an emergency session, and by
1500 local time a decision was reached to negotiate.
The Israeli government talked to the hostage-takers, via a loudhailer, and
had agreed to release 26 political prisoners held in Israel.
It appears that the deal to free the Israeli children broke down when the
Palestinians inside the school failed to receive a code word they were waiting
for from their organisation in Damascus.
The Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said it
carried out the attack.
School faced bomb threat
Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir told reporters in Jerusalem that her
government had been talking to the hostage-takers but had not been given enough
time to complete preparations to free prisoners.
Mrs Meir described the group believed to be behind the attack as "an
organisation of blood and murder".
Israel's Minister for Information, Shimon Perez, said the decision to storm
the school had been taken at the last minute because it was feared the gang
would blow it up with the children inside by an 1800 local time deadline.
Vocabulary:
grenade:手榴弹 |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:48:43