Nuclear Bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

On August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, the United States launched two bombs at the

two Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War 2. Numerous persons were

murdered in this incident, the most of whom were civilians. By July 1945, the Allies'

Manhattan Project had developed two bombs: "Fat Man" and "Little Boy."

How these cities were attacked, Watch out!

The initial target was chosen to be Hiroshima, a city with 350,000 residents that is

regarded to be a manufacturing center and is situated approximately 500 miles from Tokyo.

Five square kilometers of the city were devastated by the "Little Boy" bomb, which was

delivered by parachute in the morning.

The second city which experienced atomic attack was Nagasaki, which is most

industrialized area. Most of companies like Mitsubishi Shipyards, Arms Plants, Electrical

Shipyards, and Steel and Arms Works, in which 90 percent of the labor force worked were

located in this city. The attack on Nagasaki was more destructive than the Hiroshima because

attack was done in five different trials. August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito declared his

country's surrender in a radio broadcast but the official agreement of surrender was signed on

September 2. Due to the great destruction and chaos, the infrastructure of both cities was

extremely damaged- exact number of casualties remained unknown. However, the estimated

count was 70,000 to 135,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000 to 80,000 were died due to

experiencing blasts as well as long-term side effects of radiation.

Consequences

Leukemia was the worst of the terrible diseases that victims developed as a result of

this incident. Children made up the majority of the population, four to six years after the

sickness peaked, it began to spread two years after the attack. Studies found that "exposure
led to increases in small head size and mental disability, as well as impairment in physical

growth" (E. Nakashima, 1994). Due to the severe radiation produced by such nuclear

explosions, incidences of cancers were documented in Nagasaki and Hiroshima ten years

after the disaster.