Then three days later Nagasaki, Japan was bombed.
When “Little Boy” was dropped over Hiroshima at 2,000 feet, 60,000 to 90,000 buildings that were about a 9.5 mile radius to explosion were destroyed and seemed like it vanished in a matter of minutes.
Around 75,000 people that were near the “Little Boy” explosion died instantly and others screamed uncontrollably from the awful pains of the burns. It was the same thing with “Fat Man”. It was estimated that with both bombs the death toll was about 350,000 and injuries were around
180,000.
Soon the survivors of the bombing began to feel the effect of the gamma radiation from the bombs. Many people began to die from cancer. Fifty five years later children were being born with deformities such as missing fingers, eyes, and club feet. It caused genetic problems, retardation, blood disorders, keloids, and mental trauma. Outside of the physical and geographical effects of these two atomic bombs, we ended up in a cold war between the USSR and the United States. The Soviet Union was afraid of the USA because we had atomic weapons. The mistrust between the two countries grew and caused more worldwide problems. The building of atomic weaponry still remains a threat between countries.
The short term effects of the nuclear bombing impacted the people of Japan in horrific physical, mental, social, economic, and, environmental ways. The long term effects have spread worldwide starting with the Cold War and even in today’s threats from North Korea and The Middle East. Atomic weapons will remain the biggest threat of world power. These actions displayed by the United States showed unnecessary suffering of innocent civilians. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor there were 3,640 casualties. The bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed 470,000 civilians. The effects of atomic bombs continue to promote fear and hostility.
What were the short and long term effects of the nuclear bombs dropped in Japan in 1945?
Audrey Grace Eady
Mrs. Allen Per. 5/6B RM. 245