16 Oct 1964: China joins nuclear club

On this day in 1964, China tested its first nuclear warhead, becoming the fifth country to do so. It was codenamed 596, as preparations began in June 1959.

Five nations tested nuclear warheads before the Non-Proliferation Treaty came into effect in 1970. They also happen to be the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council:

• United States (Trinity, 1945)
• Soviet Union (RDS-1, 1949)
• United Kingdom (Hurricane, 1952)
• France (Gerboise Bleue, 1960)
• China (596, 1964)

Three other nations have been known to test a nuclear bomb:

• India (Smiling Buddha, 1974)
• Pakistan (Chagai-I, 1998)
• North Korea (unnamed, 2006)

The state of Israel is widely suspected to have several weapons, although the Israeli government has a long-standing policy of deliberate ambiguity. Some believe Israel and South Africa ran a joint test of a bomb over the southern Indian Ocean in 1979, known as the Vela incident.

Speaking of which, four states once had bombs but no longer do:

• Belarus
• Kazakhstan
• South Africa
• Ukraine

A couple of videos for your enjoyment. First, declassified footage from China’s first nuclear test, including what appear to be Tusken Raiders:

Second, a time-lapse of all nuclear tests through Pakistan’s first in 1998: