Interesting stuff Theis.
Nuclear Weapons are a very complex Topic.
I must confess.. I  have a "strange" hobby
I collect nuclear weapon test films.
(No I´m not completely crazy )
It´s unbeliveable
what you find if you start digging. So far my collections contains 32 Documentaries + 8 Department of Energy Films
and around 150 shorter sequences. Maybe I will make a little post with the "best" (visual) pictures.

Here is some more info about nuclear weapon types.
Actually there exist different types and some "special configurations.

1.Gun Type
(USA, Little Boy, 15kt)
The most simple atomic bomb. Uses two subcritical pieces
of U-235 (doesn´t work with pu-239) wich are shot/compressed to a critical mass. Actually a bomb of that kind is extremly easy to build. If you have two subcritical pieces just put one in your left and one in your right hand... lock yourself in a concrete/iron Safe and clap you hands actually the problem wich makes this bomb not that easy to build is the very rare u-235 (compared with pu-239)

-1.Implosion
(USA, Fatman, 22kt)
In this case a symetrical lense of high explosives compresses a hollow sphere of pu-239 into a critical mass.
A trigger is needed (as already described by theis) or the
reaction would occure before a super critical mass is reached.. wich would result in a fizzle of the bomb.
Even if the explosive lense doesn´t fire absolutely symetrical the bomb will fizzle .This happend accidential
several times when loaded nuclearbomber crashed.
The bomb exploded but fizzled.  (well a fizzle still can reach a yield of 200tons)

-2.Boosted Implosion
(USA, Greenhouse Item, 45.5 kt)
Same as implosion with the only difference that in the middle of the hollow plutonium sphere a  few grams of a deuterium/tritium gas mixture is included. This produces a
fusion reaction wich doubles the yield of the bomb.

-3.The Alarm Clock/Sloika (Layer Cake) Design
(USSR, Joe-4, 400kt,
UK, Grapple, Orange Herald, 720kt)
Similar to an implosion/boosted design. But inside the explosive lense system there are several spherical layers of fission and fussion fuel.

-4. 2stage thermo nuclear
(USA, Ivy/Mike, 10mt)
The true H-Bomb. A fission bomb and a pack of fussion fuel
(lithium, hydrogen) is packed next to each other inside a bomb case. The xrays from the fission explosion heats and compresses the fussion fuel until a fusion reactions appears (a big fusion reaction).

-5. 3stage thermo nuclear (multistage)
(USSR, "Tsar Bomba" largest manmade explosion 50mt)
The second fusion stage is used to ignite an even larger 3rd fusion stage (or more stages). With the explosion of the tsar bomba
the concept was proved. With this design nukes of theoretical unlimited size can be build (scarry !!).

There were a lot of strange bombs/designs/concepts/tests out there. For example Britain planned a "chicken driven" nuke. Codename "Blue Peacock". A 15ton (bomb weight)
nuclear mine wich should include living chickens to make shure low temperatures doesn´t freeze parts of the bomb. Or "Davy Crocket" an american Nuclear Rocket Launcher (actually a suicide machine). SADM the nuclear backpack...
The most scarry idea
was the soviet idea of building a doomsday ship.
Some might know this from Dr.Strangelove and I think
2 science fiction books picked up the idea as well.
But the plan for this ship was real. The idea was to build a ship where the ship itself is a huge multistage H-bomb
at a yield of 5000mt. (With a multistage design theoretical
possible). It was meant to be the final weapon in case the
soviet empire gets nuked and defeated. In that case the bomb would explode and give the planet the rest. If the Soviet Union can´t surrvive.. no one else should.
Thank God it was just an idea !!

to be continued when i find some more time...
and if someone searches for a specific picture or footage
just contact me.. if I don´t have it.. noone else has

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Well, the earth would have been screwed nonetheless, so what?

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Stupid germanisms. xP

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Nah. Those dates perfectly fit my black and unadapted personality.