Hiroshima Vs Nagasaki's Atomic Bomb
On August 6, 1945, at 8:16 am, American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This fatal bomb wiped out 90% of the city and 80,000 people immediately, however, tens of thousands more later died from extreme radiation exposure. When no surrender was filed by the Japanese, three days later, August 9, 1945, Major Charles Sweeney flew another B-29 bomber, on Nagasaki at 11:02 am, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Japan’s Emperor Hirohito announced his country’s unconditional surrender in World War II in a radio address on August 15, citing the devastating power of “a new and most cruel bomb.” The formal surrender agreement was signed on September 2 by the Japanese in Tokyo. There were 90,000
…show more content…
‘Little Boy’ contained more than 9,000-pound uranium-235 bomb was loaded aboard a modified B-29 bomber christened Enola Gay. It exploded 2,000 feet above Hiroshima in a blast equal to 12-15,000 tons of TNT, which is a high explosive formed from toluene by substitution of three hydrogen atoms with nitro groups, destroying approximately 12.9499 square kilometres or five square miles of the city. The atomic bomb used on Nagasaki was a lot more powerful than the one used on Hiroshima, weighing nearly 10,000 pounds. It was built to produce a 22-kiloton blast, however, it was dropped in narrow valleys between mountains, thus reducing it’s effect, limiting the destruction to 6.73397 square kilometres or 2.6 square miles.
Despite the destruction caused, America only viewed their actions as self-defence as well as standard actions of war. The United Nations aimed to force Japan to surrender in the war in order to reduce the amount of American casualties. Part of the reason that America dropped the atomic bombs, was to express US dominance and power over all the world. Due to the bomb on Hiroshima being the first atomic bomb dropped, the American government simply wanted to observe its effect once it is released/ launched, however, the Japanese viewed it as ‘an act of inhumanity and completely
‘Little Boy’ contained more than 9,000-pound uranium-235 bomb was loaded aboard a modified B-29 bomber christened Enola Gay. It exploded 2,000 feet above Hiroshima in a blast equal to 12-15,000 tons of TNT, which is a high explosive formed from toluene by substitution of three hydrogen atoms with nitro groups, destroying approximately 12.9499 square kilometres or five square miles of the city. The atomic bomb used on Nagasaki was a lot more powerful than the one used on Hiroshima, weighing nearly 10,000 pounds. It was built to produce a 22-kiloton blast, however, it was dropped in narrow valleys between mountains, thus reducing it’s effect, limiting the destruction to 6.73397 square kilometres or 2.6 square miles.
Despite the destruction caused, America only viewed their actions as self-defence as well as standard actions of war. The United Nations aimed to force Japan to surrender in the war in order to reduce the amount of American casualties. Part of the reason that America dropped the atomic bombs, was to express US dominance and power over all the world. Due to the bomb on Hiroshima being the first atomic bomb dropped, the American government simply wanted to observe its effect once it is released/ launched, however, the Japanese viewed it as ‘an act of inhumanity and completely