The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: August 6, 1945 and August 9, 1945
On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber called the Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, took off from a North Pacific island around 1,500 miles south of Japan. This plane was a very strong aircraft which was modified in order to hold the atomic bomb. The Enola Gay was given stronger propellers, powerful engines, and faster opening bomb doors. The atomic bomb which Enola Gay carried, nicknamed “Little Boy,” was created using uranium-235, which is a radioactive isotope of uranium, and was a product of $2 billion of research. This ten-foot bomb was located on the ceiling of the plan and had to be armed during the flight by Captain William S. Parsons, the weaponeer. It took Parsons about fifteen minutes to arm the bomb, and on 8:15 am (local time), the Enola Gay’s doors opened and the “Little Boy” dropped onto Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb exploded around 2,000 feet above the city and only missed the original target, Aioi Bridge, by 800 feet. The explosion destroyed over ninety percent of the city and immediately killed around 80,000 people, and tens of thousands of people died later as a result of radiation exposure. This atomic bomb had power equivalent to 20,000 thousand pounds of TNT, and therefore left the city in chaos and disaster.
The Japanese people barely had time to comprehend the attack before a second American B-29 bomber plane, nicknamed “Bock’s Car” and piloted by Major Charles Sweeney, dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki three days later. This 10,000 pound bomb was nicknamed “Fat Man” because it was more powerful than the one used on Hiroshima. Approximately forty percent on Nagasaki was demolished as a result of this bomb, but the terrain of the city prevented the bomb from doing more damage. Despite the little demolition, approximately 70,000 people died by the end of the year as a result of radiation exposure.
After these devastating attacks, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced the countries surrender over a radio broadcast on August 15, 1945, just six days after the attack on Nagasaki. News of this surrender broke out across the United States and other Allied nations, and “Victory in Japan,” or “V-J Day” celebrations broke out.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was very important to World War II because it was the very first time that an atomic bomb had ever been deployed. These events caused a new era of warfare to appear, the nuclear era. As a result, countries had the power to destroy other countries, and civilians would be in danger just as much as the soldiers. The surrender of Japan by Hirohito was also very significant because it marked the official end of the second world war.
The Japanese people barely had time to comprehend the attack before a second American B-29 bomber plane, nicknamed “Bock’s Car” and piloted by Major Charles Sweeney, dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki three days later. This 10,000 pound bomb was nicknamed “Fat Man” because it was more powerful than the one used on Hiroshima. Approximately forty percent on Nagasaki was demolished as a result of this bomb, but the terrain of the city prevented the bomb from doing more damage. Despite the little demolition, approximately 70,000 people died by the end of the year as a result of radiation exposure.
After these devastating attacks, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced the countries surrender over a radio broadcast on August 15, 1945, just six days after the attack on Nagasaki. News of this surrender broke out across the United States and other Allied nations, and “Victory in Japan,” or “V-J Day” celebrations broke out.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was very important to World War II because it was the very first time that an atomic bomb had ever been deployed. These events caused a new era of warfare to appear, the nuclear era. As a result, countries had the power to destroy other countries, and civilians would be in danger just as much as the soldiers. The surrender of Japan by Hirohito was also very significant because it marked the official end of the second world war.
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Rosenberg, Jennifer. "The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."About. About Education, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/hiroshima.htm>.
"The Bombing of Nagasaki." History Learning Site, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/bombing_of_nagasaki.htm>.
"The Japanese Emperor Speaks." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-japanese-emperor-speaks>.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."About. About Education, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/hiroshima.htm>.
"The Bombing of Nagasaki." History Learning Site, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/bombing_of_nagasaki.htm>.
"The Japanese Emperor Speaks." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-japanese-emperor-speaks>.