Curated OER
Chicago Questionnaire
Students critically investigate the issues surrounding the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan. They conclude if dropping the bombs was a correct decision or not and support their conclusions with documentation. Students tie in atomic...
Curated OER
The Berlin Wall
Middle schoolers enter the classroom and observe a wall that is set up with desks, bookshelves, or anything else available. to create a barrier that they cannot cross during the class. The class then is divided into East and West Berlin...
Oregon State University
Oregon State University: History of Nuclear Testing: Playing With Fire
Oregon State University online exhibit provides information on nuclear weapons testing.
US Energy Information Administration
U.s. Eia Energy Kids: Timelines: Nuclear Energy
Timeline of key events in the development of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, including early scientific discoveries related to atomic science.
Other
American Institute of Physics: Soviet Physics, Nuclear Weapons, and Human Rights
A resource with extensive information on all aspects of Sakharov's life. Arranged chronologically.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Berkeley Lab: Nuclear Weapons
Site explores the history of the first nuclear weapons and the challenges of maintaining these weapons today.
Other
Nevada Test Site Oral History Project
A comprehensive look at the 50 years of nuclear testing in Nevada through oral histories of the participants. In addition to the histories, the site includes a timeline, information about the test sites, and videos.
Oregon State University
Oregon State University: Atomic Energy and Nuclear History: Civil Defense
Online exhibit from Oregon State University on Atomic Energy and Nuclear History, this section features philosphy of defense.
Ohio State University
Opper Project: Using Editorial Cartoons to Teach History (Lesson Plans)
Two dozen lessons that focus on using political cartoons as primary source resources for teaching American history. Lessons cover a range of topics in U.S. history from the Civil War era forward and are linked to Ohio content standards.
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Wilson Center: Soviet Nuclear History
A digital archive of documents from the 1940s-1980s that relate to the nuclear weapons race in the Soviet Union. Included in archive are notes from the head of the Soviet atomic bomb project, Igor Kurchatov and documents related to...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Online Exhibition: The Manhattan Project
[Free Registration/Login Required] Documents by Manhattan Project scientists expressing their concern about nuclear weapons after the bombings in Japan.
US Department of Energy
Us Dept of Energy: Nuclear Age Timeline
This site is a comprehensive timeline of the history of the nuclear age, from the discovery of radioactivity to the cleanup of nuclear weapons.
US Department of State
U.s. Dept. Of State: Archive: The History of the Salt Ii
The history of the US - USSR negotiations to limit the production and use of nuclear weapons. (1979)
Other
Atom Central: History Leading to the Creation of the Atomic Bomb
Find out about historical events leading to the creation of the atomic bomb, beginning with ancient history.
Flow of History
Flow of History: Nuclear Arms Race
The events and countries involved in the nuclear arms race are profiled. Text plus a colored graphic flowchart make the topic visually appealing and of interest to both students and educators.
CNN
Cnn: Timeline: N. Korea Nuclear Dispute
A brief timeline that shows the history of the nuclear dispute that North Korea has had with the world between 1993 and 2007.
US Army Center
U.s. Army Center of Military History: The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb
In-depth analysis of the decision to create and drop the atomic bomb on Japan during World War II. Includes details on the Interim Committee.
Ohio State University
Opper Project: Using Editorial Cartoons to Teach History (Lesson Plans)
Two dozen lessons that focus on using political cartoons as primary source resources for teaching American history. Lessons cover a range of topics in U.S. history from the Civil War era forward and are linked to Ohio content standards.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Manhattan Project and the Atomic Bomb
Discusses the Manhattan Project of the United States which worked on developing nuclear weapons during World War II. It led to the two atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan in August 1945, ending the war with Japan.
US National Archives
Our Documents: Test Ban Treaty (1963)
Contains all the text and images of the original document. Also includes a summary of the history behind the signing of this treaty.
Steven Kreis, PhD
The History Guide: The Origins of the Cold War
A lengthy lecture-format page with key points of the development and emergence of the Cold War. Includes many useful links within the content.
Choices Program, Brown University
The Choices Program: History and Current Events
This page engages students in international issues. Curricular resources and instructional programs bring international public policy to life. Students engage in research and high-level thinking activities that revolve around what is in...
A&E Television
History.com: Why the Air Force Almost Blasted the Moon With an H Bomb
Detonating a thermonuclear weapon on the moon? It sounds like the bizarre scheme of a deranged comic-book villain -- not a project initiated inside the U.S. government. But in 1958, as the Cold War space race was heating up, the U.S. Air...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: America's History in the Making: Postwar Tension and Triumph
Comprehensive teaching unit on tensions of the Cold War era: conflicts between domestic prosperity and unfulfilled expectations, ideals of conformity and individualism. Contains video and text materials, web interactives, student...