When was the atomic bomb dropped on nagasaki

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski This infographic describes the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, one of the The atomic bombing of The bomb The bomb was deployed by a B-29 bomber named Bockscar. The B-29 Bockscarspent 45 minutes over Kokura (northeast of Nagasaki, about halfway between Hiroshima and Nagasaki) without sighting its aim point. It then proceeded to its secondary target, Nagasaki, where the second atomic bomb to be detonated over a populated area was airburst at 500 meters (1,650 feet) above the city. The bomb, named Fat Man, was an implosion fission bomb. In an implosion bomb a sphere of plutonium-239 is surrounded by high explosives that compress the plutonium. The explosive yield was estimated to be the equivalent of 21,000 tons of TNT. Although the bomb dropped on Nagasaki was significantly more powerful than the one droppedon Hiroshima, Nagasaki’s uneven terrain meant that a significant portion of the city was shielded from the worst effects of the blast. Casualties The population of Nagasaki in July 1945 was 195,290. Approximately 40,000 people, or 20% of the total population, were killed outright or shortly after the blast. Approximately 70,000 people, or 36% of the total population, were dead by year’s end. Approximately 40% of the buildings were completely destroyed or severely damaged. Radiation injury symptoms General effects of radiation injury included confusion, convulsions, weakness, and fatigue. Other symptoms included hair loss, inflam...

Second Lt. Russell Gackenbach was the navigator aboard the Necessary Evil. 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs On Aug. 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It was the first time a nuclear weapon had been used in warfare. There were three strike planes that flew over Hiroshima that day: the Enola Gay, which carried the bomb, and two observation planes, the Great Artiste and the Necessary Evil. Russell Gackenbach was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps and a navigator on the mission. Today, the 95-year-old is the only surviving crew member of those three planes. Preparation Gackenbach enlisted in the Army Aviation Cadet Program in 1943. After completing his training, he was approached by Col. Paul Tibbets, who was recruiting officers for a special mission. Tibbets said it would be dangerous but if they were successful, it could end the war. The 509th Composite Group, lead by Tibbets, spent months training in Wendover, Utah, before being shipped off to an American air base on the Pacific island of Tinian. Their planes were reconfigured B-29 Superfortress bombers. They had different engines, fewer guns and a larger bomb bay. Necessary Evil is one of three B-29 Superfortresses that flew over Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945, when an atomic bomb was dropped on that city. 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs The Enola Gay carried the weapon, nicknamed "Little Boy." It weighed nearly 10,000 pounds and could produce an ex...

Visitors look at a photograph of the area surrounding the Atomic Bomb Dome, captured after the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan. Credit: Junko Kimura/Getty Images On Aug. 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands of people – many instantly, others from the effects of radiation. Death estimates range from This first use of a nuclear weapon by any nation has long divided Americans and Japanese. Americans have consistently approved of this attack and have said it was justified. The Japanese have not. But opinions are changing: Americans are less and less supportive of their use of atomic weapons, and the Japanese are more and more opposed. In 1945, a But a 2015 Not surprisingly, there is a large generation gap among Americans in attitudes toward the bombings of Hiroshima. Seven-in-ten Americans ages 65 and older say the use of atomic weapons was justified, but only 47% of 18- to 29-year-olds agree. There is a similar partisan divide: 74% of Republicans but only 52% of Democrats see the use of nuclear weapons at the end of World War II as warranted. In the years since WWII, two issues have fueled a debate over America’s use of nuclear weapons against Japan: Did Washington have an alternative to the course it pursued – the bombing of Hiroshima followed by dropping a second atomic weapon on Nagasaki on Aug. 9 – and should the U.S. now apologize for these actions? In September 1945, the National Opini...