In a surprisingly low-key and carefully worded statement, President
Harry S. Truman (above) informed the American people that the
Soviets exploded a nuclear bomb. The Soviet accomplishment,
years ahead of what was thought possible by most U.S. officials,
caused a panic in the American government. 

The United States developed the atomic bomb during the latter
stages of World War II and dropped two bombs on Japan in August
1945.

The launching of USS Nautilus.     

The USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear submarine, was commissioned
by the U.S. Navy on September 30, 1954.

The Nautilus was constructed under the direction of U.S. Navy Captain
Hyman G. Rickover, a brilliant Russian-born engineer who joined the U.S.
atomic program in 1946. In 1947, he was put in charge of the navy’s nuclear-propulsion program and began work on an atomic submarine. Regarded as
a fanatic by his detractors, Rickover succeeded in developing and delivering
the world’s first nuclear submarine years ahead of schedule. In 1952, the
Nautilus‘ keel was laid by President Harry S. Truman, and on January 21,
1954, first lady Mamie Eisenhower broke a bottle of champagne across its
bow as it was launched into the Thames River at Groton, Connecticut. Commissioned on September 30, 1954, it first ran under nuclear power
on the morning of January 17, 1955.

Hyman G. Rickover
(January 27, 1900 – July 8, 1986)

Rickover is known as the "Father of the
Nuclear Navy," and his influence on the
Navy and its warships was of such scope
that he "may well go down in history as
one of the Navy’s most important officers."

Harry S. Truman
(May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972)