# Tsar Bomba (1961)

URL: https://history-russia.com/timeline/1961-tsar-bomba
Categories: main-event

The Soviet Union detonated a hydrogen bomb of about 50 megatons over Novaya Zemlya, the most powerful explosion ever created. In August the Berlin Wall had been built. In October Stalin's body was removed from Lenin's mausoleum. Andrei Sakharov was among its designers. Tsar Bomba symbolised the extremes of the nuclear arms race.

## Why it matters
Tsar Bomba symbolised the extremes of the nuclear arms race.

Ruler at the time: [Nikita Khrushchev](https://history-russia.com/rulers/nikita-khrushchev)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Tsar Bomba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_Bomba)
- [Wikipedia — Berlin Wall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall)
- [Wikipedia — Khrushchev thaw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khrushchev_thaw)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Tsar Bomba](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Tsar+Bomba)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Russian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_history)