HistoryCentral Est. 1996
Postwar America

Soviets Detonate Atomic Bomb

Soviets Detonate Atomic Bomb
illustration
Soviets Detonate Atomic Bomb

(9/23/49) America's monopoly on atomic weapons ended when President Truman announced, on September 23, that the Soviets had successfully detonated an atomic bomb. As a result, the nuclear arms race, that was to last until 1990, was born.

From the makers of HistoryCentral

Explore our history apps

Take HistoryCentral with you. Our apps put American history and centuries of the human story in your pocket.

Browse the Apps →