Operation Totem Operation Totem Operation Totem was a pair of British atmospheric nuclear tests which took place at Emu Field in South Australia on 15 October 1953. They followed the Operation Hurricane test of the first British atomic bomb, which had taken place at the Montebello Islands a year previously. The main purpose of the trial was to determine the acceptable limit on the amount of plutonium-240 which could be present in a bomb. In addition to the two main tests, there was a series of five subcritical tests. These did not produce nuclear explosions, but used conventional explosives, polonium-210, beryllium and
What If (story) What If (story) "What If—" is a fantasy short story by Isaac Asimov that was first published in the Summer 1952 issue of "Fantastic" and reprinted in the 1969 collection "Nightfall and Other Stories". The story was inspired by the author's wife, who challenged him to produce a story based on a train trip they were taking to New York. A married couple is traveling on a train from Boston to New York City. They meet a mysterious silent man known only as Mister If, who shows them a small portable television-like device about in size. (Mr. If's first name