Hiroshima Bombing
On August 6, 1945 at 8:15 in the morning, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Hiroshima was chosen as the first target of the series of bombings because this particular Japanese city had remained almost untouched during the war, so the Japanese wouldn't really be expecting the attack. The bomb exploded 1,900 feet above the city and only missed the target, the Aioi Bridge, by approximately 800 feet.
The plane named Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb called "Little Boy" on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The pilot of the Enola Gay was Paul Tibbets, who named the aircraft Enola Gay after his mother. The bombing of Hiroshima took many people's lives. 70,000 people died instantly from the bombing. Within 5 years, an additional 70,000 people died due to radiation.
Nagasaki Bombing
On August 9, 1945 at 11:02 in the morning, just three days after the Hiroshima Bombing, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. The atomic bomb was supposed to be dropped into the Japanese city of Kokura. But, since Kokura had a heavy cloud cover, Nagasaki was the second option. So, the United States set off to bomb Nagasaki, Japan.
The name of the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki was "Fat Man." This atomic bomb exploded 1,650 feet about the city of Nagasaki. The bombing of Nagasaki caused 150,000 people to die. Approximately 40% of Nagasaki was destroyed. Although the "Fat Man" was considered to be much stronger than the "Little Boy", the terrain in Nagasaki prevented the bomb from doing as much damage as the bombing of Hiroshima did.
Personal Thoughts:
I think that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were very significant and memorable events in American History. I think that it showed other countries how strong the United States is, and that we are not afraid to fight back. Personally, I feel that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 made the United States an extremely strong country.
Sources:
http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/hiroshima.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki
http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/world/hiroshima.html
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/bombing_of_nagasaki.htm
Comments
Good but a bit brief overall with content.