Hiroshima and Nagasaki – What Happened?

Blog by: ｍ ｅｇｙ

It is most likely that you’ve heard of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings at least once before. They took place during WWII, and were one of the most destructive type of bombs at that time! So, let’s first take a look at what exactly an atomic bomb is.

What Are Atomic Bombs and How Do They Work?

An atomic bomb is a weapon that explodes upon contact with something due to the sudden release of energy caused by nuclear fission. Plutonium and Uranium are often elements used in the atomic bomb, because they’re highly unstable and are more likely to carry out chain reactions, causing the explosion.  At the time of WWII, the U.S. was the first to try out these kinds of bombs, giving us a huge advantage. The picture shown models “Little Boy”, the bomb dropped on Nagasaki.

Why were Hiroshima and Nagasaki the Targets of the Atomic Bombs?

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were two major cities in Japan at that time. Both had booming industries producing war materials at that time, such as ordnance and ships. Hiroshima was at the time a huge communications center, and was the second largest city in Japan. It also hosted Ujina harbor, a major embarkation depot for Japan’s army at the time. Nagasaki was a smaller city, located at the head of a long bay that made for a great natural harbor.  It housed many soldiers just as Hiroshima had.

What was the Aftermath of the Atomic Bombs Like?

Imagine yourself as a citizen living in one of the two cities, Hiroshima or Nagasaki. You’re going about your daily routine, and then suddenly you hear this giant roar and see a flash. Within the next second, your house no longer stands and you’re dead.  That’s what it was like for those living near the drop zone of the bombs.  The Atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima was known as “Little boy” and the bomb dropped in Nagasaki was known as “Fat Man”.  The bombing in Hiroshima flattened the city, and Nagasaki wasn’t too much different. You could see one side of the city from the other! Not only was the city in ruins, but radiation poison leaked from the city and was carried into the surrounding cities, waterways, and soil! Both cities were devastated, as well as Japan’s war efforts. The economy took a downfall and Japan was running out of soldiers. Japan eventually surrendered to the U.S., promising to become a democracy.

What are Hiroshima and Nagasaki like today?

Hiroshima and Nagasaki are both thriving cities today and have kept some of the ruins as memorials. They are usually big tourist attractions because of that, and house millions of people! The survivors of the bombs still live to tell their tales, and cities no longer hold the unnatural radiation. Now you know what’s really happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki!