France’s First Atomic Test

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FEBRUARY 13, 1960

Near Reggane, French Algeria (Sahara / Tanezrouft region)
66 years ago

On February 13, 1960, France carried out its first atomic test in the Sahara: Gerboise Bleue.
It wasn’t just a scientific milestone. It was a geopolitical statement: France was claiming a seat at the highest table of Cold War power.

What’s often missed is the setting. This took place in French Algeria, amid the Algerian War, a reminder that “national breakthroughs” can be built on contested ground.

“Gerboise Bleue”: A First Test With Big Yield

Accounts vary slightly, but the yield is commonly reported in the ~65–70 kiloton range—far above the earliest U.S. and Soviet first tests—making the debut impossible to ignore. The test was part of the Reggane series, conducted at the Saharan Military Experiments Centre near Reggane.

—— WHY THIS MATTERS ——

Because this single detonation sits at the intersection of technology, power, and consequence:

• A strategic threshold: France became the world’s fourth nuclear power (after the U.S., USSR, and UK).

• A colonial context: the testing program’s location in Algeria remains central to historical memory and debate.

• A long legacy: questions about exposure, contamination, responsibility, and records have persisted for decades.

—— THE TAKEAWAY ——

February 13, 1960 is not just “France’s first bomb.” It’s a date that compresses the 20th century into one event: scientific ambition, national prestige, Cold War calculus, and consequences that don’t end when the dust settles.

At Masters of Trivia, with our MOT utility token, we turn turning points like this into daily interactive learning, so curiosity becomes a habit, and history becomes something you can use.

Today’s Daily Quiz explores the topic of nuclear physics, Gerboise Bleue, the Reggane test site, the Cold War nuclear race, and the lasting political and human questions surrounding nuclear testing.