Reflection & Remembrance

Luminarias line a path along a river during one of several "Days of Peace and Remembrance" events.

NPS/BURGHART

 

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On August 6, 1945, a B-29 Superfortress, the Enola Gay, part of the 509th Combat Group of the United States Army Air Forces, dropped "Little Boy", the world’s first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. This enriched uranium device was the most powerful weapon ever used at the time and killed between 70,000-140,000 people, many of them instantly.

Three days later on August 9 at 11:02 am local time in Japan, a bright flash of light, far brighter than the sun, illuminated the city of Nagasaki through a cloud-covered sky. Soon, a sharp boom rang out. The United States dropped the plutonium-fueled atomic bomb "Fat Man" on the city. Shockwaves destroyed the immediate surroundings of the blast’s center. Within 3,000 feet (900 meters) of the bomb's hypocenter, schools, hospitals, places of worship, and other institutions felt the impacts of the bomb. The blast instantly incinerated everything nearby: people, trees, homes, cars, and buildings.

By the end of 1945, more than 200,000 people died as a direct result of these two bombings. In addition to the immediate deaths, tens of thousands more people suffered physical and emotional traumas that have not yet healed.

Many complex decisions during World War II led to the Manhattan Project and to the development of the world’s first atomic weapons. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan and the destructive power of nuclear weapons prompts us to confront the profound choices and consequences of the Manhattan Project, which many still struggle with today.

Explore "Days of Peace and Remembrance" to learn about park events that mark and recognize the historical trauma of the atomic bombings of Japan. Articles in "Seeds for Reflection" will help you on both a learning and reflective journey.

 

 

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