1.) saying we have had nukes for a "very very very long time" reveals your age. Humans that were around when the nukes dropped are still alive. Compared to evolutionary scale, the age of earth, and the age of humanity, we have had nukes for a SLIVER of time.
2.) Nukes have been used at LEAST twice, offensively, and arguable THREE times. I'd argue 99% of people are unaware of the third use of nuclear(hydrogen bomb actually) weapons. It was used by the Soviet Union, and US government shortly after WW2. Although information on the bombing is VERY VERY VERY limited, here is what I've found. The "official" story is that the Soviet Union, and USA, together, bombed Antarctica, simply to test the effects on the environment. So, they basically just took the biggest bombs they could, and exploded them over Antarctica to "see what happens".
I personally don't buy that version of events. The fact that many Nazis ran, and many more were saved from trial by the US/Soviet governments is lost in history (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip).
At the end of WW2, the "official" story was that the Nazis were defeated completely, utterly, and all of those who held serious power, were charged in international court. In reality, the USA and Soviets saved THOUSANDS of Nazi scientists(often the smartest, and most powerful of them) from criminal trial, and even created fake identities for them, so they could live without fear of being found out. For instance, the "father of Nasa", who is credited as being the single biggest force behind getting America to the moon, was a former Nazi scientist(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun)
So, we've established that BOTH the soviets and USA hid major truths about WW2 from their population, including the idea that most of the most powerful Nazis escaped(possibly including Hitler, whose body was never found).
The Nazis, before WW2, sent expeditions to Antarctica. They were working on ICBM Hydrogen Bomb Missiles. My theory is that their contingency plan was that they had bases in remote areas of the world, from which they could launch their nuclear missiles, even if Germany fell to a land invasion. From these remote points, they could force the USA, and Europe to surrender.
But, the Nazis plan failed. The allies bombed their heavy water facilities, and interrupted their nuclear program. Only AFTER the allies took the Germans' nuclear supplies, and scientists, and integrated this knowledge(and uranium/plutonium), were they able to create a bomb.
So, Germany was much closer to the bomb than the Soviets/USA led on. They were closer than the USA, for most of the war, and the USA only beat the Germans to the bomb, because of 2 reasons. 1.) the USA went for the smaller, simpler fission bomb, whereas Germany skipped this, and went STRAIGHT to the hydrogen bomb. 2.) The USA had a whole continent to build centrifuges, without fear of bombing. Germany was getting bombed constantly.
So basically, after WW2, the Soviets and USA were not done fighting. For YEARS, they were still hunting Nazi scientists, and trying to recruit them. But, this fighting was done in secret, because it did not coincide with the story of WW2 that was told, to justify all of the violence.
The Soviets and USA(my theory) deployed hydrogen bombs in the atmosphere, to kill any electronic devices that the Nazis may have had in Antarctica. We know 100% that the Nazis visited Antarctica before the war, on expeditions. We know 100% that the Nazis plan was to develop ICBM(inter continental ballistic missiles), and to Hit New York City with them(Nazi, High altitude spy craft, had been taking pictures of NYC, for this purpose).
In reality, WW2 was much closer than was led on. Governments essentially lied to their citizens, to help them calm down, and recover from one of the most trying, and disturbing events in human history.