So the thought that the United States of America possesses the means of nuclear warfare and has the ability to detonate our enemies is a comforting thought. I believed that other countries would be too terrified to bother the United States because they would fear the almighty nuclear bomb. I'm sure I'm not the only person living on American soil who has these beliefs. Before the lesson it had never occurred to me that other countries also possess nuclear energy and the dangers that come with such an influential means of destruction. The atomic bomb was first used during the Cold War, when two nuclear bombs were dropped on Japan in 1945. This bomb was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people and, in turn, caused Japan's surrender. This was the only time a nuclear bomb was used during a war. However, after this incident there have been many competitions to see who can build the biggest and ugliest bomb among the nations. Every country now feels the need to be better prepared and have the meanest technology known to mankind. Every country wants to be ahead of the game, even if that means there is a possibility of man's annihilation. There are eight independent states that have managed to detonate nuclear weapons. There are currently five states that have nuclear energy. They include the United States, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, France, and China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_nuclear_weapons). However, it is believed that there are many more countries with this power and it is simply not known or does not pose such a threat. When one country starts building nuclear bombs, it automatically puts the other country at a disadvantage. Then the other country in turn has a desire to discover this technology and begins to build its own nuclear bombs. In this way, dangers are hidden and the potential of the arms race begins to emerge. Each country wants to surpass the other and have a bigger and more dangerous way to gain ultimate control. Nuclear energy puts destiny in man's hands. At any moment one country could wipe out another by dropping a bomb. Although not all other countries have the ability to build a huge bomb due to lack of money. If you look at the cost it takes to build these bombs, what a waste in my opinion.