Synopsis & Timeline
The use of an atomic bomb is a considerable example of a drastic measure taken by any country during World War II. This weapon of mass destruction destroyed entire Japanese cities, leaving their leaders in awe.
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Background & Causes
This nuclear weapon has the ability to decimate cities and eliminate entire populations. The aftermath of this intimidating explosive lingers throughout the bomb site with a lasting presence of radiation. The United States felt the urge to use it against Japanese civilians on August 6th and 9th of 1945 in order to abruptly end the war with a bang.
The United States first began funding the research of an atomic bomb in 1940 as a way to compete with Nazi Germany and their nuclear weapon research. There was a top-secret program called the "Manhattan Project", which employed over 130,000 scientists from around the world, was tasked to work on producing the key materials for nuclear fission (uranium-235 and plutonium). The project spent about $2 billion and was under the joint responsibility of the Office of Scientific Research and Development and the War Department. The operations extended between three facilities in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee; the Hanford Site, Washington; and Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico. Meetings between the groups of scientists during the Manhattan Project recognized the potential effects of the atomic bomb. "It would be accompanied by a brilliant luminescence which would rise to a height of 10,000 to 20,000 feet. The neutron effect of the explosion would be dangerous to life for a radius of at least two-thirds of a mile" Notes taken at a meeting of the Interim Committee, May 31, 1945. (Primary Source) There have only ever been 2 atomic bombs utilized in warfare. Both of them were used by the United States during the closing stages of World War II (1939-1945). Hopefully the world will never see the effects of an atomic bomb again. |
Impact & Effects
Hiroshima |
Nagasaki |
The first bomb was detonated on August 6, 1945 over the city of Hiroshima, destroying 90% of the city and incinerating 80,000 people immediately. The bomb weighed approximately 9,700 pounds and exploded about 1,800 feet above the ground. The death toll reached a total of 192,020 people including the people instantly killed by the explosion and by the effects of radiation released by the bomb.
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The second bomb initially had two possible targets: Nagasaki or Kokura. The bomb was eventually detonated over Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 due to weather related issues in Kokura. This bomb killed over 70,000 people instantly. Surprisingly it took the Japanese emperor, Michinomiya Hirohito, 5 whole days after the second explosion in Nagasaki to accept the Potsdam Declaration and its unconditional surrender.
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