PBS Secrets of the Dead - Worlds Biggest Bomb (2011)

Against the backdrop of the Cold War, American and Soviet scientists engaged in a dangerous race to see who could build and detonate the world's largest bomb. The epic results exceeded all expectations as both sides blindly pushed the boundaries of technology far into unknown territory.
On March 1, 1954, the U.S. conducted the "Castle Bravo" hydrogen bomb test. It unleashed a fifteen megaton explosion–three times larger than expected–that vaporized three entire coral islands and sent ash 100,000 feet in the air. After the disaster, the U.S. refocused its efforts on smaller, more precise bombs.
The Soviet Union, however, continued to build massive devices capable of destroying entire cities. The Soviet bomb program reached its zenith above the north European island of Novaya Zemlya. When the 50-megaton Tsar bomb was detonated it sent a shock wave three times around the world. But how were the Soviets able to detonate such a cataclysmic device without fear of nuclear fallout?
The story of the race to build the WORLD'S BIGGEST BOMB has never been fully told. But its fifty year anniversary (2011) provides the perfect opportunity to share this chilling story with the world.