Enola Gay

44.5 seconds, that was the time it took for the bomb named “Little Boy” to be released from the American B-29 Super fortress, the Enola Gay, and strike its target in downtown Hiroshima. Despite the brevity of that moment, the events surrounding the decision to use the atomic bomb and the aftermath of that decision remain hotly contested 70 years later. Those few seconds changed human history forever, and it certainly deserves to remembered, yet establishing a place to honor a moment that used a

One of the biggest controversies of the 20th century was caused by one little plane, the Enola Gay. The Enola Gay was a B-29 Superfortress bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. August 6, 1945 was a historic day. Lives were lost and it was the start of the very end of World War ll. The use of this very destructive weapon could be seen as inhumane, but it was a decision that had to be made. Americans and people from other countries today have their own opinion of our war ending tactic.

There are many factors that ended World War II; However, The bombs and the ship that dropped them were some of the most important. These bombs were known as the Fat Man and Little Boy, and the ship was the Boeing B-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay.” The first bomb dropped in World War II was the Little Boy. The Little Boy bomb was a gun-type device, whose critical mass was achieved when a uranium projectile was fired into a uranium target through a barrel. Both were in a subcritical state. The resulting

Paul Tibbets deeply stared at himself through the mirror, slowly buttoning his uniform, his fingers were shaking and trembling like fish out of the water , he didn’t know if it was adrenaline or if he was nervous about his upcoming mission. It may have not been nervousness, it could have just been the thrill of knowing he was going to be a part of a historical mission, the possible turning point in the war, but no matter how much he shook Paul Tibbets knew he was ready for this mission. He had been

History Wars: The Enola Gay and Other Battles for the American Past is an anthology of writings about the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian and the controversy surrounding the Enola Gay Exhibit. Each author, though discussing the same events, told a different story about the controversy. The overall themes of this book have to do with control, differing perspectives, education, and the role of the historian. The Enola Gay controversy became a cautionary for historians and museums;

Introduction On July 29th, 2014 the last surviving member of the United States Army Air Corp (USAAC) aircrew that dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare died. Theodore Van Kirk, also known as “Dutch”, was the navigator of the Enola Gay the day it dropped the bomb.1 In interviews throughout his life Van Kirk expressed no regret regarding his part in the dropping of the atom bomb, saying it helped to end World War II (WWII).2 The 69th anniversary of that historic mission, Operation Centerboard

voices was front and center in the Enola Gay controversy. The National Air and Space Museum curators and script writers were trying to display historical awareness which, in this case, seemed to directly confront and oppose veteran’s social memory. Veterans and even fellow Americans, felt as if the achievements and sacrifices of those who fought in war would be undermined when historical voices attempted to analyze the dropping

Atomic Bomb and the Cold War, at the Smithsonian Institution leads to some possible solutions that could have reduced or perhaps solved the controversy. The central artifact of The Crossroads exhibit was to be a restored B-29 airplane named the Enola Gay. This plane had dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945.1 After the bombing, Japan surrendered and the war ended. The commonly held belief was that the bombing was a necessary strategic military action that prompted

Boeing B-29 Super fortress Enola Gay The Enola Gay is one of the most iconic bombers in all of history. It was a super fortress that fly over Japan and dropped the first atomic bomb. It brought the end of the Second World War but rung in the area of new warfare. With a crew of only a dozen men to change the course of history. This Boeing B-29 super fortress has the most symbolic beginning that stared with its name, Enola Gay, which will be remembered for eternity. The Enola Gay was selected by Colonel

The narrative of the events surrounding the Enola Gay can be told differently, but the facts have to be accurate. To them, leaving out details is also not something the museum should do. In this case leaving out the devastation to the Japanese people caused by the bombs, as well as statements by U.S. officials that thought the bombs were not needed could be looked upon as an inaccurate portrayal of the Enola Gay and the atomic bomb. Historians from the Committee for Open Debate