Bikini Atoll was the site of 23 nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States between 1946 and 1958, including the 1954 Castle Bravo detonation — still the largest American nuclear test ever conducted, yielding 15 megatons against an expected 4 to 6. The Marshall Islands were granted independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association that explicitly excluded Bikini residents from returning to their home atoll, contamination levels remaining prohibitive to this day.
The Marshall Islands has issued collector coinage referencing Bikini since the 1990s, this being among the more recent silver-plated issues in that ongoing series.
Bikini Atoll was the site of 23 nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States between 1946 and 1958, including the 1954 Castle Bravo detonation — still the largest American nuclear test ever conducted, yielding 15 megatons against an expected 4 to 6. The Marshall Islands were granted independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association that explicitly excluded Bikini residents from returning to their home atoll, contamination levels remaining prohibitive to this day.
The Marshall Islands has issued collector coinage referencing Bikini since the 1990s, this being among the more recent silver-plated issues in that ongoing series.