If you've never run into it before, the Partial Test Ban Treaty initially sounds like a sort of noncommittal plan to maybe get rid of something, somewhere, at some point...if the mood is right.

The lack of title specifics makes the treaty seem like it's wishy-washy by name, wishy-washy by nature, and not very treaty-like. Well, this (thankfully) couldn't be further from the truth. Partial Test Ban Treaty—or PTBT—is just a nickname.

In more formal settings (like Sunday dinner, funerals, and prom), the PTBT is known by its official name: Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water.

We know, it's not the catchiest title, but it's not "Rumpelstiltskin," either. When you're dealing with nuclear weapons, cool poetic titles tend to be low on the list of priorities.

The lowdown on the PTBT is this: it's an international agreement that was ratified in 1963—after years and years of revisions, demands, and disagreements—between the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (For all of our sakes, we'll be referring to these countries as the U.S., the U.K., and the USSR from now on).

The PTBT developed out of the desire to put the kibosh on nuclear testing worldwide. Although it might seem like a no-brainer to halt the willy-nilly detonation of atomic explosions, during the mid-20th century, the issue was a lot more complicated. Given what we know now about how scary nuclear power can be, you might be wondering why nuclear testing was ever an option at all.

For one thing, scientists in the 1950s and 1960s (supposedly) didn't know as much about the detrimental effects of nuclear radiation as they do today. Some of them thought nuclear fallout was no big deal. (It is.) Others were extremely concerned about it. Without conclusive and unanimous evidence against it, both sides of the issue could be considered. Where there is a shadow of a doubt, there is opportunity.

So nuclear testing continued.

The purpose of nuclear testing was to advance the development of nuclear weapons. Nations desired to possess nuclear weapons to ensure a state of security against other nations (who might also possess nuclear weapons). Whoever had the biggest, baddest, most-nuclear bomb held the most power. This created a situation known as MAD, or Mutual Assured Destruction, a condition that typified the Cold War era and specifically refers to the diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and the USSR.

To understand how things got to this dire point, we have to look back to the end of World War II (which we'll do in the "Historical Context" section). Just for now, though, know that after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, everybody freaked out.

Then, everybody wanted nuclear weapons, too...not because the A-bomb is cool, but because it's terrifying.

This was especially true for the USSR. Although the Soviets were allies with the U.S. during World War II, world politics had blasted into a new era. The U.S./Soviet divide quickly widened due to the ideological differences between capitalism and communism. Allies became rivals.

By the mid 1950s, atomic weapons were intensifying, and in a couple of instances on both the U.S. and Soviet sides, experiments had gotten out of hand. As a result, political pressure from the world scientific community and the United Nations urged the USSR and the U.S. (along with its longtime ally, the U.K.) to agree on universal rules concerning nuclear testing.

The diplomatic proceedings lasted nearly 10 years, but from them the PTBT was born. As its fancy title indicates, the treaty prohibits the testing of nuclear weapons in the air, in space, and underwater (even though they make for one heck of a Jacuzzi).

Lest you think that the U.S., the U.K., and the USSR have their own test-ban clubhouse clique, note that the treaty allows for any nation to join at any time. Today, 136 nations support the PTBT.

(Psssst: in case manuals on nuclear physics haven't yet made it on your summer reading list, you might want to give this article about how atomic weapons work a quick once-over before we proceed. Or just be surprised by all of the explosions. We recommend the former.)

Uh, if ever there were a time to answer a question with a question, it would be now.

Why should you care? We're talking about, oh, one of the scariest things imaginable. So, let's take it down a notch...and not in a Chris Isaak "Wicked Game" and rose petals on your duvet kind of way.

We're going to be serious for a moment. We're talking about nuclear weapons, which are the most destructive man-made forces on the planet.

We hear a lot about the atomic bomb in history classes and even in pop culture—sci-fi movies and war movies, in particular. In recent years, discussion of nuclear weapons has again entered the news circuit as nations like North Korea (which, not surprisingly, has not signed the PTBT) allegedly pursue atomic weapons programs. The Trump administration in the U.S. and the Putin presidency in Russia have also triggered renewed awareness of Cold War anxieties.

The history surrounding nuclear weapons is well-documented, but it can sometimes be difficult to imagine just how destructive these bombs truly are. To help you get a better sense of their immense power, check out this short video that animates a timeline of significant nuclear explosions. (While you're watching, try to ignore the fact that the narrator sometimes says "nuculur" instead of "nuclear.")

Test incidents like Castle Bravo, which obliterated the small island of Bikini Atoll (much to everyone's surprise), and the ungodly monster that was Tsar Bomba set the bar of atomic might. Without the restrictions of the PTBT, who knows what kinds of weapons would have been created to establish a new atomic record.