France conducted its first nuclear bomb test at Reganne, Algeria, in the Sahara desert. At the time, Algeria was under French control. The test, code named Gerboise Bleue, had a yield of 60-70 kilotons. This test put France in the same atomic league with the United States, the USSR and Great Britain. The test would be the first of many by France. Despite protests from the international community and several African states, France continued its nuclear tests for years.
In the 1990’s France was still conducting nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean despite disapproval from many countries. France always claimed that it took great care in ensuring that radioactive energy from the bombs did not affect people living in remote parts of the areas where the tests were taking place.
Officials overseeing the atomic bomb test, source: AFP/GETTY IMAGES
This Day in History: February 13, 1960
Additional Date: February 13, 1960