There are at least 17,300 nuclear weapons in existence, with North Korea at least having fewer than 10, the United States is second with 7,700 nuclear weapons, and Russia has the most with 8,500, enough to wipe them out the world population is many times greater and 2,500 (7%) of these weapons are ready to fire at a moment's notice. Nuclear weapons today are much more powerful than ever, but what are the real effects of these explosive killing machines? Nuclear weapons are dangerous to the world's population and should be eliminated from use in global warfare. These weapons not only kill thousands of people in the initial explosion, but also leave behind hazardous materials, killing just as many people from radiation poisoning miles away from the explosion site. While it would be impossible to completely eliminate these weapons, we should limit their use in warfare and ensure that no nation starts a nuclear war. Using just one weapon has never been enough and this could lead not only to a global war between countries, but to a war between the most powerful countries in the world. I believe powerful weapons like these should be restricted from use, but should still be owned by countries. In October 1939, after the start of World War II (WWII), Franklin D. Rosevelt received a letter from a Jewish scientist in Nazi Germany. This man named Albert Einstein had claimed to have created a design for a weapon using the power of nuclear fission which was believed to be extremely powerful and effective. After receiving this letter, President Rosevelt had assembled a team to create this weapon, and the team completed it in the heat of the war. The atomic bombs were dropped on the city of Hiroshima on August 7 and on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. T...... middle of paper ...... from Hiroshima to North Korea, Nuclear Files offers the A to Z on nuclear issues. Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, January 1, 2014. Web. May 8, 2014."Office of Technology Assessment." Reports. U.S. Business Office of Technology Assessment, Jan. 1, 2014. Web. May 5, 2014. Plow Equity Fund. “World Nuclear Stockpile Report.” Report on global stockpiles of nuclear weapons. 01 January 2014. Web. 08 May 2014.Reif, Kingston. “Would the United States ever actually use nuclear weapons?” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, 1 January 2014. Web. 07 May 2014. Rhodes, Richard. "Rethink." Five myths. Ward Wilson, January 1, 2014. Web. May 5, 2014."Six Arguments for Abolishing Nuclear Weapons." Six arguments for abolishing nuclear weapons. 01 January 2014. Web. 06 May 2014."UNODA - The home of nuclear weapons." United Nations News Center. UN, 1 January 2014. Web. 05 May 2014.