Nuclear Testing Starts in Russia
The Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan, also known as "The Polygon", was the primary testing venue for the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons.
The Soviet Union detonated their first atomic weapon--an RDS-1 nicknamed Joe-1 (after Joseph Stalin)--on August 29, 1949 at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan. Radioactive particulate matter in the air was detected by shocked American officials several days later, assessing the Soviets had created an atomic bomb four years earlier than expected. This test would usher the world into an atomic arms race and would lead to the establishment of the doctrine of mutually assured destruction.
