© 2012 The Weekly Plan. All rights reserved.
THE BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA
There are few events that have affected the world like the
bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. On this day, the
first atomic bomb was dropped by the United States
military over Hiroshima. Hiroshima is a city in Honshu,
Japan's main island.
At 2:45am on Monday, August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber
took off from a North Pacific island 2 400 kiometres south
of Japan. A twelve-man crew were on board to ensure the
mission went smoothly. On a hook in the ceiling of the
plane hung the 3 metre atomic bomb which was named
‘Little Boy’. In order to carry the heavy 4.5 tonne atomic
bomb, the plane was modified with new propellers,
stronger engines, and faster opening bomb bay doors.
Three other planes had left earlier to check the weather
conditions over Hiroshima.
"Little Boy" was created using uranium. It was the
equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT and was the product of
six years and $2 billion of research. There had been four
cities chosen as possible targets but Hiroshima was
chosen in the end because it was a large port city with an
army base and had not been damaged during the war.
On that day, Hiroshima, was having clear weather. At
8:15am the plane’s door sprang open and dropped "Little
Boy." A small parachute was on the bomb in order to slow
its drop and allow the plane time to fly away from the blast
zone. The bomb exploded 580 metres above the city and
only missed the target, the Aioi Bridge, by approximately
245 metres. It detonated right over the Shima Surgical
Clinic. 90% of the city’s medical staff were killed because
they were in the clinic at the time.
The sight was described as a mushroom cloud of purplegrey smoke with a red core in it. Everything was burning
inside like lava covering a whole city. The cloud is
estimated to have reached a height of 12km.
6 AUGUST 1945
Within seconds the city was wiped out and only
smoke and fires creeping up the sides of the
mountains could be seen. 90% of Hiroshima was
totally destroyed.
Clay roof tiles, metal and stone all melted together
and shadows imprinted on buildings and other hard
surfaces. Directly beneath the centre of the explosion
the temperature rose to about 3 870°C. Buildings and
areas that were protected by a human body were
relatively undamaged as the body took the full impact
of the heat and absorbed it. The heat created was so
great that people 2km away from the centre of the
explosion found their clothes on fire.
'Little Boy' also created ultra high pressure. The wind
speed on the ground directly beneath the explosion
was believed to have been 1580 kilometres per hour.
Such a force simply flattened most buildings. Black,
sooty rain fell for hours afterwards.
The goal had been to destroy a city and the atomic
bomb that exploded over Hiroshima succeeded in
doing this. Hiroshima's population was an estimated
350,000 at the time and approximately 70,000 people
died immediately from the explosion.
Deaths from radiation were very common for years
after the explosion of 'Little Boy'. Nearly all the people
who survived the bomb blast but lived within 800
metres of it died within 30 days. People who entered
the zone where the bomb had caused the most
damage were also exposed to very high levels of
radiation in the first 100 hours after the explosion.
Most people died within two to four weeks of exposure
since there is no cure for radiation poisoning. It is
estimated that from 1946 to 1952, 70,000 people died
of radiation poisoning, cancer or leukemia.
© 2012 The Weekly Plan. All rights reserved.
THE BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA
6 AUGUST 1945
It is believed as many as 180,000 people in total died as
a result of 'Little Boy'.
Despite witnessing the terrible destruction of the bomb
on Hiroshima, Emperor Hirohito and Japan still refused
to surrender.
While the people of Japan tried to
comprehend the devastation in Hiroshima, the United
States prepared a second bombing mission. Three days
later, on August 9, 1945, another atomic bomb,
nicknamed ‘Fat Man’, was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.
Again the devastation was horrific as this bomb was
made from plutonium which is even stronger than
uranium. Six days after the bombing of Nagasaki,
Emperor Hirohito and Japan surrendered to US forces.
The effects of the bombing of Hiroshima are still felt
today. For generations after the bombing, children were
born with severe health defects that are believed to be
connected to the effects of the bomb’s radiation.
However, the city itself has healed and Hiroshima has
been declared a City of Peace by Japanese Parliament.
The Children’s Peace Monument was erected to mourn
all the children who died from the atomic bombing. It is a
9 metre high bronze statue, topped with a figure of a girl
holding a folded crane.
Since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, there has
not been another atomic bombing. It is hoped this will
remain the case.
Discussion Questions
Factual
1.
What was the name of the atomic bomb
dropped on Hiroshima?
2.
Why was Hiroshima chosen as a target?
3.
What % of Hiroshima was destroyed?
4.
What were some of the illnesses people
developed after the bomb was dropped?
5.
Another bomb was dropped on a
second city in Japan 3 days later. What
was the name of this city?
Challenge
Imagine you were living in Hiroshima when the
bomb dropped.
What do you think would have been some of
the issues you faced in the days, weeks and
months after the bombing?
Remember, 90% of the city has been
destroyed. Housing, food, transport, medicine,
etc, are all areas you will need to consider.