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A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945 - by Isao Hashimoto

aConcernedHuman
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YouTube
2 HN users recommended this video2 months2013–2025 score 2
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

Used as a striking visualization of the sheer scale and rhythm of nuclear testing, and as a model for conveying scale with a counter.

Isao Hashimoto's time-lapse map shows all 2053 nuclear explosions between 1945 and 1998, with each nation getting a blip and a running tally. Each second represents one month.

“It really puts into perspective just how many nukes have gone off for purposes other than to kill people.” (HN, 2014)

2 recommendations · 7 citations · Other

9 Hacker News comments

From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.

@malandrew Sep 2013 Recommends
on HN thread Want to See China’s Latest Top Secret Military Site? Just Google It
That opening paragraph really puts the following time-lapse animation showing every nuclear explosion since 1945 in perspective: [this video] One of the most fascinating things is seeing how every string of nuclear tests in Russia were quickly followed by many more detonations in the US.
Time-lapse showing US and Russian test series following each other.
@sillysaurus3 Oct 2014 Recommends
on HN thread The USSR used a nuclear charge to stop a gas well fire in 1966
Here's a timelapse of every nuclear explosion since 1945. It really puts into perspective just how many nukes have gone off for purposes other than to kill people. It's amazing that only two were used for violence. [this video] According to the video, people have detonated 2053 nukes, and America has the dubious distinction of having detonated over 1000.
Time-lapse of 2053 nuclear detonations, over 1000 by America.

Citations, criticism and jokes

@zsombor Aug 2013 Cites it
on HN thread At the Very Least, Your Days of Eating Pacific Ocean Fish Are Over
Considering the impact of fishing perhaps a bit of paranoia will do good for the biosphere. Still I must point out that whatever radiation is released or will be released from Fukushima, is nothing compared to what nuclear weapons testing had done in the last century: [this video] so enough scaremongering.
Shows scale of nuclear testing relative to Fukushima.
@rolandog Oct 2015 Cites it
on HN thread How Will We Get Off Mars?
I've always wondered why don't they allow the testing of those rockets in stable ground? We've done crazier tests, like nuclear testing: [this video]
@cyberferret Jan 2017 Cites it
on HN thread President Obama's International Visits from 2009 to 2016
That site really drives the tragic results of drone strikes, however from a UX perspective, I wish they would not use a stacked sliding bar for the death count at the top. Seeing the death of children growing at the start is heart wrenching, but as the other values grow, the 'children' bar actually shrinks, devaluing the impact of the tragic toll. Perhaps counters like the "Every Atomic explosion since 1945 video"? [0] Might drive home the point a little better? [0] - [this video]
Counter-style visualization of nuclear explosions as a model for conveying scale.
@LeoPanthera May 2020 Cites it
on HN thread Nukemap
Related, and from the title I actually thought it was going to be this: "A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion" [this video]
@JBiserkov Oct 2025 Cites it
on HN thread China has added forest the size of Texas since 1990
I mean, just the nukes alone are incomprehensible, adding all the conventional munitions ... I'm out of words. A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945 - by Isao Hashimoto [this video] 1 second = 1 month
Time-lapse where one second equals one month.

Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.

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