Yesterday marks the 78th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima. A Boeing B-29 Superfortress, dubbed the Enola Gay, after the mother of pilot Colonel Paul Tibbets, dropped the world's first atomic weapon, a 9,700 pound enriched uranium bomb named "Little Boy", on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. (I was taught the correct pronunciation is like "her-O-shim-ah", not "HE-row-SHE-ma" like common Americans like to say. @PLANEGUY30, any suggestions?) The bombing killed between 60,000 and 140,000 people. Three days later, a larger bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. That bomb killed about 70,000 people(including my Japanese great-aunt's sister). Let us reflect upon these moments, as these have been the only use of atomic weapons in war. Now, you may ask, was this necessary? I do not want to focus on this question but I will say that abut 500,000 people died in the US firebombing of cities, and also that the alternative to the bombs, an invasion of the Home Islands probably would have resulted in far greater losses, not just of American lives but of Japanese soldiers and civilians alike. Does that make the use of nuclear weapons okay? No. But this was a quick end to a devastating war. And, still, we should honor those who died to make sure that nuclear weapons are never used.
Sorry i couldn't get it out on time. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this, any other information you have, please comment!
