Today marks the 66th anniversary of the first atomic bomb attack on the Japanese mainland. This year's commemorations were particularly distressing in light of the recent nuclear calamity in Fukushima. On March 11, 2011, the citizens of Fukushima were going about their daily routines just as the people in Hiroshima had done on August 6, 1945. One big difference between these two events is that the 1945 catastrophe wasn't caused by a natural disaster. At exactly 8:15 on that Monday morning more than six decades ago, events were set in motion that altered the course of history for Japan and the world. This article looks at how the atomic bomb, ironically named Little Boy, impacted Hiroshima.
The Little Boy Bomb
This instrument of destruction was the result of the Manhattan Project, the code name in the United States for the secret military plans to build a nuclear bomb. The first successful test was carried out in Los Alamos, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945. Little Boy, the bomb used on Hiroshima, measured ten feet long, weighed nearly 10,000 lbs and had an explosive force equal to 15,000 tons of TNT. Less than a month after the Los Alamos test, the population of Hiroshima witnessed the lethal power of this new weapon.
August 6, 1945
The Enola Gay was the B-29 bomber plane that delivered Little Boy to Hiroshima. A split second after detonation there was a blinding flash of light similar to when a photographer lights a dish of magnesium, but it was far more powerful. The heat produced by the explosion raised temperatures to a hellish 3,000°C (5,400°F). Thousands of people disappeared in an instant. Even those who were up to four kilometers away from ground zero weren't protected all that much because the heat was so intense. Deadly firestorms raged for days, reducing thousands of buildings to ashes.
What Else Happened in Hiroshima?
Moisture combined with ash particles as they came into contact with cold air high above the ground. Rain fell on Hiroshima, a black, slimy liquid which was highly radioactive. Those who weren't vaporized or crushed by falling debris had been affected by radiation — an invisible threat that caused victims to fall ill and die days, weeks, months, and even years after the disaster. Radiation sickness hadn't been seen before, and the scene in Hiroshima was gruesome. Everyone's hair fell out, and blood gushed from their eye sockets, ears, and mouths.
The Death Toll
Hiroshima's population was approximately 350,000 in August 1945. It's believed that 70,000 perished immediately when Little Boy exploded. At the beginning of 1946, many of the survivors appeared to be healthy but a variety of diseases started to emerge. Leukemia, and cancer of the thyroid, lung, stomach, and salivary glands claimed many more lives. Within five years the death toll had risen to 140,000.
The Legacy of Hiroshima
World War II was brought to an end, but at an unimaginable cost. Hirohito addressed the Japanese people over the radio on August 15, 1945, and announced Japan's surrender. Most Japanese had never heard the Emperor speak before that day. In the years after the war, a nuclear arms race unfolded and still casts a threatening shadow over the world. Few nations possess nuclear weapons, and perhaps Hiroshima is the reason they haven't been used since 1945.
References:
- Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Retrospect and Prospect by Douglas Holdstock, Frank Barnaby, F. Cass, 1995
- The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by Valerie Bodden, The Creative Company, 2007
- The Bombing of Hiroshima: August 6, 1945, John Malam, Black Rabbit Books, 2002
Scott Hayden - Since joining Suite101 in early 2007, I've contributed articles about travel, history and health. My speciality is writing about workplace ...
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