1970

The United Nations General Assembly declares the 1970s as the First Disarmament Decade.

March 5
The Non-Proliferation Treaty enters into force. [see July 1, 1968]

April 12
The Soviet nuclear submarine K-8 sinks in the Bay of Biscay, killing 53 crew members.

April 16
The main rounds of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) open in Vienna.

August 19
The United States deploys the first missile with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), the Minuteman III.

December 18
A large radioactive cloud is released after a 10 kiloton underground test in Nevada. The test, code named Baneberry, is part of the nuclear tests in which radioactivity is deliberately vented out from underground. The cloud made its way to Canada.