I want to talk about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why? That’s an easy one. 77 years ago this week, two atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in a bid to bring the Second World War to an end, with the surrender of Japan.

This is an odd entry for Some Geek Told Me, but since I’m a student of history, I can’t really ignore this. What I’m not going to be talking about is:

• The development of the atomic bombs, through the Manhattan Project.
• The justification behind the Allies’ decision to drop the bombs.
• The Quebec Agreement or The Potsdam Declaration.
• The Allies warning the Japanese citizens of the bombings.
• Whether Japan had the capability to defend itself, against an Allied invasion.

What this charming little blog will be about, is what the two bombs actually did to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with the citizens. I know, I know, not exactly Jane Austen or Charles Dickens content, but more like Stephen King.

Let’s turn the page and begin now.

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Hiroshima: 6th August 1945

At the time of the bombing, Hiroshima was the headquarters for the Chūgoku Regional Army, as well as the Second General Army. Given Hiroshima’s position for shipping and military resources, it was one of the targets selected to be hit.

Hiroshima’s population was near 345,000, which was made up of military personnel, citizens; including children, slave labourers and prisoners of war.

The weapon used on Hiroshima was a bomb with a 64 kg uranium-235 core, nicknamed Little Boy. It had the power of 15 kilotons of TNT.

On 6th August, at 8.15 a.m (local time), the bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay, an American Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, at an altitude of 9,400 m. It fell for 44-45 seconds, before detonating at 580 m, which was directly above a hospital.

The result of the first nuclear weapon being used in warfare, was nothing short of horrific.

• The ground level temperature surpassed 7,000 °C.
• 70,000 people were instantly killed by the blast and the resulting firestorm, with under 10% being military personnel.
• By the end of 1945, the death toll had risen to over 100,000, mainly through radiation and injuries.
• Of the city’s buildings, 70% were destroyed (60,000), with another 7% damaged.
• Nuclear shadows or blast shadows of victims, were created on the city’s footpaths and walls.
• A mushroom cloud was created and rose to more than 12 km high.
• The blast radius of the weapon had total destruction for 1.6 km, along with fires stretching across 11 km².
• Over 90% of doctors and 93% of nurses in Hiroshima were killed or injured.
• For people looking for medical treatment from the weapon, many would die before any medical help could be given to them. This resulted in dead bodies lying around hospitals.

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Nagasaki: 9th August 1945

During the war, Nagasaki was an important seaport, which was one of the largest in Japan. Nagasaki was also home to four massive companies, that were involved in the production of various military technology and machines. These companies employed 90% of the labour force in the city. Because of this, it was selected as a target.

Nagasaki’s population was 263,000, which consisted of Japanese citizens, Korean citizens, Korean and Chinese workers, soldiers and prisoners of war.

The Nagasaki bomb had a 5 kg plutonium core, nicknamed Fat Man. This weapon had the equivalent power of 21 kilotons of TNT.

On 9th August, at 11.01 a.m (local time), the plutonium bomb was dropped from another American Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, Bockscar. It fell for 53 seconds, exploding near 500 m, which was directly above a tennis court.

As Japan and the world were still reeling after the Hiroshima bombing, a new nightmare was about to unfold.

• 40,000 people were instantly killed by the blast, with 60,000 injured.
• By the end of 1945, the death toll had risen to an estimated 80,000, mainly through radiation and injuries.
• 40% of the city’s buildings were destroyed.
• The industrial area sustained 68-80% of its production was destroyed.
• A mushroom cloud was created to the height of 16 km.
• The blast radius of the weapon had total destruction for 1.6 km, along with fires stretching 3.2 km south of the blast radius.

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Casualties of the bombs could be collected under three main groups: radiation injuries, debris injuries, and burns.

Radiation injuries accounted for 10% of the deaths in Hiroshima and 6% in Nagasaki. Debris injuries accounted for 30% of the deaths in Hiroshima and 14% in Nagasaki. Burns accounted for 60% of the deaths in Hiroshima and about 80% in Nagasaki.

This information does not even touch upon the massive reconstruction effort of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the after care needed for the survivors, named as hibakusha in Japanese; the radiation and cancer research conducted with the survivors; the cultural and historical impact on Japanese society; or even the world’s reaction and response to the bombings.

One sad day, I’m going to have to explain what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to UMC1 and UMC2. I don’t know how to explain it as a parent, let alone walking around with the knowledge as an adult, that the nuclear apocalypse of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was real. It’s not fake, this actually happened; not once, but twice.

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed Japan forever, but also the world. I think the legacy of the two cities is a twisted form of doublethink. Hear me now…

The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can show us an example of what the worst of humanity can offer; what terrible things we can do to each other. However, it also shows us how quite literally and figuratively, how humanity can stand up after being knocked down, and start to rebuild in the name of peace.

Both statements are actually true. They can co-exist alongside each other in your mind, and that’s alright. Though I think, just maybe, it’s about what you want to focus more on: hate or hope.

Thanks for reading. I’m going to be doing some changes to the blog soon, if I’m smart enough to understand on what to do and how to do it. Until then, walk your dog, tell a stupid joke and I’ll see you next week.

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