Table of Contents
What happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
On August 6, 1945, the American bomber Enola Gay dropped a five-ton bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, another bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, killing nearly 40,000 more people. A few days later, Japan announced its surrender.
What happened to Nagasaki in the Second World War?
The bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki with the Fat Man plutonium bomb device on August 9, 1945, caused terrible human devastation and helped end World War II. The third choice, Nagasaki was a port city located about 100 miles from Kokura. …
Why did we drop a second bomb on Japan?
The explicit reason was to swiftly end the war with Japan. But it was also intended to send a message to the Soviets. Ever since America dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945, the question has persisted: Was that magnitude of death and destruction really needed to end World War II?
Why the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima?
The decisions to drop the atomic bombs on Japan were based on several main factors. One of the reasons why Harry Truman dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was that thousands and thousands of civilians were killed per day and the US would like to minimize their own casualties, by dropping the atomic nuclear bombs.
How many people died instantly in Nagasaki?
The original target was Kokura , but this was obscured by cloud so the bomb was dropped on nearby Nagasaki, an important port. About 40,000 people were killed instantly and a third of the city was destroyed. The final death toll was calculated as at least 50,000.
Why did the U.S. choose Hiroshima?
Rushay said that Hiroshima was one of four potential targets and that Truman left it up to the military to decide which city to strike. Hiroshima was chosen as a target because of its military importance . Nagasaki was bombed a few days later. The US remains the only country to have used nuclear weapons.
Why did we bomb Nagasaki?
The USAAF dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki because the Japanese ignored the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The USAAF had been bombing Japanese cities for fourteen months when Hiroshima was bombed August 6, 1945. (This included the devastating fire bombing of Tokyo in March.) The Japanese did not flinch in the face of that atomic attack.