Many of the scientists circulate a petition calling for the U.S. not to drop the bomb, or to first demonstrate the bomb to the Japanese. Even people within the military indicate dropping an atomic bomb may not be warranted, as the Bard memo shows.
In August of 1945 the U.S. drops two bombs on Japan, the first on Hiroshima the second on Nagasaki
| Listen to then President Harry Truman as he announces to the world that the United States has dropped an atomic bomb on Japan. |
These are replicas of the bombs which were dropped, Little Boy, shown on the left, was dropped on Nagasaki and Fat Man, shown on the right, was dropped on Hiroshima.
The mushroom cloud over Hiroshima
This shows the area of the blast site over Hiroshima. The inner circle represents the zone of total destruction from the blast. The outer circle represents the maximum zone of destruction from the blast.
This photo was taken a quarter of a mile from the epicenter of the blast.
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The heat from the blast was so severe, people close to the blast site had no chance for survival. Find out what effects different doses of radiation can have on your body |
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The mushroom cloud over Nagasaki. |
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The destruction in Nagasaki. |
In August of 1949 Russia detonates its first atomic bomb and the cold war begins.
Both countries begin to build more explosive and deadlier weapons, such as the H-bomb.