Starfish Prime, a nuclear detonation 250 miles above the Pacific in 1962
In 1962, the US conducted a nuclear test called Starfish Prime, detonating a bomb 250 miles above the Pacific Ocean. The electromagnetic pulse from the explosion caused widespread electrical failures in Hawaii, nearly 900 miles away. This test was part of a broader effort to understand the effects of high-altitude nuclear detonations on communication and radar systems.
- ▪The Starfish Prime test involved a 1.4 megaton nuclear bomb detonated at an altitude of 250 miles.
- ▪The electromagnetic pulse affected electrical systems in Hawaii, causing streetlights to fail and burglar alarms to activate.
- ▪Starfish Prime was part of Operation Fishbowl, aimed at studying the effects of high-altitude nuclear explosions.
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Home > Tech Explained In 1962, the US detonated a 1.4 megaton nuclear bomb 250 miles above the Pacific in a test called Starfish Prime, and the electromagnetic pulse knocked out streetlights, burglar alarms, and a telephone company microwave link in Honolulu nearly 900 miles away, on an island most engineers had assumed was safely out of range By Make Tech Easier Editorial Team May 29, 2026 Add as a preferred source on Google Must ReadA famous African Grey parrot named Alex became the first and only animal to ever ask an existential question about itself—after learning over 100 English words, identifying shapes, and counting objects, Alex looked into a mirror and asked his handler, “What color?” to learn that he was greyIn 2014, a simple counting glitch known as the “Gangnam Style bug”…
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