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World War Two -- Atom Bomb in Hiroshima, Japan
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The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
August 6, 1945
On July 26, 1945 President Harry S. Truman issued the Potsdam Declaration calling for an unconditional surrender by Japan. This ultimatum was rejected by the Japanese.
Truman had already been advised of the successful detonation of the first atomic bomb developed under the Manhattan Project. The results of dropping an atomic bomb on the Japanese mainland were weighed against the possible loss of 500,000 American lives in an invasion of Japan by troops. To shorten the war and save United States military personnel, Truman decided to use the atomic bombs.
On August 6, 1945 at 9:15 A.M. the B-29 “Enola Gay”, piloted by Paul W. Tibbets, dropped an 8,900 pound uranium atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb nicknamed “Little Boy” detonated 2,000 feet above the ground with a blinding light. When the mushroom-shaped cloud dissipated, three-fifths of the city had been destroyed. From 60,000 to 70,000 people died in the shock and burning fires of the initial blast. Many thousands more died from radiation burns and radiation exposure, perhaps as many as 140,000 by the end of the year.
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