Hiroshima Bombing Effects Essay

In 1945, two atomic bombs were dropped over Japan on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and a detrimental impact on the environment.

After victory in Europe and defeating the Third Reich Nazis, World War II was not yet over. Japan was still a threat, their persistence and ability to fight really annoyed America. As a propaganda poster from World War II exclaimed, “Shall we let him get away with it,” (Document B). The United States needed to punish Japan for attacking American territories such Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and Wake Island. Dropping the bombs would send a message

“We have to protect our Earth, so our children and grandchildren will never suffer like that,’ she said. And she looked ahead. ‘Maybe nuclear weapons won’t be abolished while I’m alive,’ she said. ‘But I will never give up.” (Hanley, NBC News). August 6, 1945 at 8:16 in the morning, the United States dropped the world's first atomic bomb on thousands of unsuspecting people in Hiroshima, Japan. Not only did this catastrophic event kill thousands of civilians, but it also resulted in other nations obtaining and learning how to create these deadly weapons, weapons that we still have today. In the book Hiroshima by John Hersey he gives readers a new look at that day, through the eyes of six victims who survived the horrific attack on Hiroshima, he shows how the entire city of Hiroshima suffered, and were left alone to fend for themselves.The book Hiroshima by John Hersey, sheds light on the immense dangers of nuclear warfare, and the government's responsibility for its people, affected by a war they aren’t fighting in.

With the new working bomb, during World War II American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first atomic bomb called the little boy weighing 9,000 pounds on Hiroshima, Japan instantly killing eighty-thousand people then killing over tens of thousands of people after due to radiation exposure. Three days later another bomb

The United States dropped their first atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. The explosion was tragic, “90 percent of the city was wiped out and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens and thousand more would later die to radiation exposure” (Lemay and Paul). Innocent children and citizens would die.

“Little Boy” and “Fat Man” were the first atomic bombs created, and delivered revolutionary damage. Little Boy was the first bomb to detonate over Japan. Approximately 90% of people within half a mile from the location of the explosion died almost instantly. Only about 10% of buildings in Hiroshima remained standing or undamaged. The massive explosion happened so fast that clothing patterns burned into the skin of victims far enough away to avoid instant death. Along with this, the blinding flash of light

The casualties due to the atomic bomb launched by the United States in 1945 were recorded at a horrifying high body count in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima was known as “Little Boy” and the one that struck Nagasaki was known as “Fat Man.” Several dozens of thousands of people died from these two carcinogenic, lethal bombs.

The short-term mental and physical scars left on the people of Hiroshima were people suffering in gutters and on side of roads before death, none seriously injured people not helping injured, and none seriously injured not being able to help injured as there where to many injured. The city being on fire, and people having to stay in river to seek refuge from the fire but drowned due to being exhausted and the strong currents, one side of the city extremely burnt while the other was not. People trying to help rescue and escape from the fire and city but not able to due to more fire and destruction “He tried several cross streets, but all were blocked.”5, and “…as he approached the centre, that all the houses had been crushed and many were afire… he tried several points to penetrate the ruins, but the flames stopped him.”6

Wilfred Burchett, an Australian journalist who visited Hiroshima just a month after the Hiroshima bombing. He provides evidence that he did not approve of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For example he stated that he saw people in hospitals dying mysteriously, ‘they lost their appetites, their hair fell out . . their flesh began rotting away from their bones.’ (Direct quote from source A). He also stated that ‘thousands of people came out of their shelters to watch the bomb descend by parachute’ they didn’t realise what was to come next.

At about eight A.M on August sixth, 1945 the Japanese city Hiroshima was destroyed by the deployment of the first nuclear weapon, nicknamed “Little Boy.” Soon after, at about eleven A.M the following day, a second bomb was dropped, called “Fat Man” on Nagasaki. Together, these bombings caused massive destruction. The death total was well near 220, 000. Only portions of these deaths were from the days of the bombings, with an equal number occurring later in the year from exposure to radiation. More have died since from leukemia.

Then in 1943, the allies started gaining momentum against the japanese. Even though Japan was nearing defeat at the end of 1994, the Japanese had proved that they would do anything to win the war, including suicide tactics. Furthermore, America was planning on an invasian that would be even bloodier than that of D-Day and would possibly extend the war by two more years and kill even up to a million more lives on both sides. The US decided that building an atomic bomb was probably better than risking the deaths of more Americans and Japanese. Once the bomb was finished, they made plans to drop the bomb, which they code-named, Little Boy, on a city called Hiroshima. Hiroshima, had a population of 350,000 people, and was a location of a military base at the time of 1945. This made it a good location to target in hopes of achieving the goal to drive Japan out of the war. They used a plane called the Enola Gay, to drop the bomb they created, which they Code Named, Little Boy. By this point, Germany had already surrendered, which made Japan one of the last and primary targets for world war

President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the direct cause for the end of World War II in the Pacific. The United States felt it was necessary to drop the atomic bombs on these two cities or it would suffer more casualties. Not only could the lives of many soldiers have been taken, but possibly the lives of many innocent Americans. The United States will always try to avoid the loss of American civilians at all costs, even if that means taking lives of another countries innocent civilians.

Paul Tibbets was chosen to fly over Hiroshima and drop “Little Boy.” Tibbets named the B-29 that he flew during the mission after his mother’s maiden name, “Enola Gay.” Well before the planned

On August 6, 1945, during World War II an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Japan’s Emperor

On August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb, "little boy" on Hiroshima, Japan. Hiroshima had been almost eradicated with an estimated 70-80,000 people killed. Three days later, a second, more powerful bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing over 100,000 people. Since Japan was economically and militarily devastated by the late summer of 1945, the use of the atomic bombs on an already overcome Japan was unnecessary and unwarranted in bringing about a conclusion to the war in the Pacific.