# Britain tests a hydrogen bomb (1957)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1957-britain-tests-a-hydrogen-bomb
Categories: main-event

The United Kingdom demonstrated a thermonuclear capability during tests in the Pacific. Within the broader Postwar & Modern UK period, decolonization, welfare institutions, migration, European integration and withdrawal, devolution and social change reshaped the modern United Kingdom. This event is placed at 1957 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The programme confirmed Britain as an independent nuclear-armed state during the Cold War.

## Why it matters
The programme confirmed Britain as an independent nuclear-armed state during the Cold War.

Ruler at the time: [Elizabeth II](https://english-history.com/rulers/elizabeth-ii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Britain tests a hydrogen bomb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Britain+tests+a+hydrogen+bomb&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Britain tests a hydrogen bomb](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Britain+tests+a+hydrogen+bomb)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history)
- [The National Archives — Postwar collection](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/explore-by-time-period/postwar/)