At 8:15 in the morning on August 6, 1945, a single American bomber called the Enola Gay flew over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. From its belly fell a bomb unlike any weapon the world had ever seen. When it exploded 600 metres above the city, it created a flash brighter than the sun and temperatures hotter than 3,000 degrees Celsius — hot enough to melt copper.
The Atomic Bomb
This was the world's first 1 used in warfare. Scientists had discovered they could split tiny particles called atoms to release enormous amounts of energy. The bomb, nicknamed "Little Boy," was only about the size of a large refrigerator, but it had the explosive power of 15,000 tons of dynamite.
Imagine every firework from every Guy Fawkes Night celebration in Britain for the past 100 years exploding at exactly the same moment in the same place — that still wouldn't come close to the power of this one bomb.
What Happened to the City
The explosion instantly destroyed everything within a 1.6-kilometre radius. Buildings turned to dust, metal melted, and shadows of people were burned permanently into concrete walls. The blast created winds of 1,000 kilometres per hour and started fires that burned for days. Around 80,000 people died immediately, and by the end of 1945, the death toll had risen to about 146,000 as people succumbed to burns and radiation sickness.
Hiroshima wasn't chosen randomly. It was an important military city with weapons factories and army headquarters. But it was also home to hundreds of thousands of ordinary people — families, children, shopkeepers, and teachers who had nothing to do with the war.
Why It Happened
World War II had been raging for six years, and Japan was the last country still fighting against the Allies. American leaders believed that invading Japan would cost hundreds of thousands more lives on both sides. They thought dropping this terrifying new weapon might shock Japan into surrendering immediately.
Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. On August 15, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender, ending World War II. The atomic age had begun, and the world would never be quite the same again.
At 8:15 in the morning on 6 August 1945, an American bomber flew over Japan. The plane was called the Enola Gay. It flew over a city called Hiroshima. The plane dropped a very special and deadly bomb. The bomb exploded 600 metres above the city. It made a flash brighter than the sun. The heat reached over 3,000 degrees Celsius. That is hot enough to melt copper.
The Atomic Bomb
This was the world's first atomic bomb ever used in a war. Scientists found out they could split tiny particles called atoms. Splitting atoms releases a huge amount of energy. The bomb had a nickname. It was called "Little Boy." It was about the size of a large fridge. But it was as powerful as 15,000 tonnes of dynamite.
Imagine every single firework from every Bonfire Night in Britain for 100 years. Now imagine them all going off at exactly the same time in the same spot. That still would not be as powerful as this one bomb.
What Happened to the City
The explosion instantly destroyed everything nearby. It destroyed all buildings within 1.6 kilometres. Metal melted. Buildings turned to dust. The heat was so strong it burned shadows of people onto concrete walls. The blast made winds of 1,000 kilometres per hour. Fires burned across the city for days.
Around 80,000 people died straight away. By the end of 1945, around 146,000 people had died in total. Many died from burns. Others died from something called radiation sickness, caused by the bomb.
Hiroshima was chosen for a reason. It was an important military city. It had weapons factories and army bases. But ordinary people also lived there. There were families, children, teachers, and shopkeepers. Most of them had nothing to do with the war.
Why It Happened
World War Two had been going on for six years. Japan was the last country still fighting against the Allies. American leaders were worried about what would happen next. They thought invading Japan would cause hundreds of thousands more deaths. They hoped this terrifying new bomb would make Japan give up straight away.
Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped. This time it fell on a Japanese city called Nagasaki. On 15 August, the Japanese Emperor announced that Japan was surrendering. This ended World War Two. The world had entered the atomic age. Nothing would ever be quite the same again.