History

August 6, 1945: the fateful day when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. At 2:45 a.m.,  a B-29 bomber, dubbed the Enola Gay, took off from an island in the Marianas. At around 8:15 a.m., the Enola Gay's hangar unleashed the a-bomb, nicknamed Little Boy, unto the city of Hiroshima. Detonating at around 1,900 feet above the city, the resulting explosion killed tens of thousands of innocent people. At the time, the population of Hiroshima was estimated at around 350,000 individuals. Approximately 70,000 died from the explosion and another 70,000 died from the radiation within five years. While the Japanese were suffering from the recent explosion, the United States was preparing for another bombing mission. On August 9, 1945, 11:02 a.m., the city of Nagasaki was struck by an atomic bomb called the Fat Man. The Fat Man had detonated 1,650 feet above the city. Forty percent of Nagasaki was destroyed. Nagasaki's population at the time was 270,000. 70,000 people died within the year.