History of the Atomic Bomb

  Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Atomic bomb mushroom cloud over Nagasaki

  There were two atomic bombings against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These atomic bombs were started by the World War two Allies. The allies prepared for an invasion of Japan.  The war in Europe ended when Nazi Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945.Even though this war had ended, the pacific war was still occurring. On July 26, 1945 at the Postdam Conference the United States called for surrender on Japan. The United States threatened Japan and the Japanese government just ignored it. The United States wanted to create a research and development program known as the Manhattan Project. The United Kingdom and Canada also helped the United States. This project was originally created to build the first atomic bomb and was lead by General Leslie Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer. The Japanese city of Hiroshima was destroyed by an atomic bomb dropped by the United States. This historical event occurred on August 6, 1945. 

    The atomic bomb, pictured above, dropped on Hiroshima was nicknamed “Little boy”. It was the first atomic bomb to be used as a nuclear weapon. It was 10 feet and 6 inches long and weighed 9,700 pounds. Many of the children were out of the city when the bomb hit but many lost their families. The total death from this first atomic bomb was over 80,000 people. The little boy also destroyed 76,00 buildings and 90% of the city. Hiroshima was chosen by the United States because it was an industrial city that was very important to the military.

    Three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, the United States dropped a second bomb. This atomic bomb was dropped in Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. 

  The atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, pictured above, was nicknamed “Fat Man.” It was the second atomic bomb to be used as a nuclear weapon. It was 10 feet and 8 inches long and weighed 10,000 pounds. Approx. 40,000 people were killed by the bombing at Nagasaki and about 25,000 injured. The bomb missed its intended spot due to poor conditions and was somewhat less damaged than that of Nagasaki.Nagasaki was chosen by the United states because it had never been bombed before. The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed and many people died and lost their families.