National Nuclear Security Administration
The cannon, initially named Able Annie, was later renamed Atomic Annie.
During the May 25, 1953 test, the cannon fired a nuclear shell that unleashed a 15-kiloton blast.
The US Army successfully test-fired an atomic cannon exactly 68 years ago Tuesday. It was the first and only time the US military ever fired a nuclear weapon from a conventional cannon, according to the Army.
During the Cold War, the US military developed many different ways to unleash nuclear destruction on an enemy, including a towed artillery piece built in the early 1950s that could fire a nuclear round packed with as much explosive power as the atomic bomb that devastated Hiroshima less than a decade earlier.
The US Army only ever fired one nuclear artillery shell from its Atomic Annie cannon, and this is what it looked like msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.