Download The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The Bombing of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki
By Cindy Grigg
Caption: The "mushroom cloud" from the atomic
bomb rises 11 miles into the air over Nagasaki on August
9, 1945.
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In the spring of 1945, World War II was nearing its
end. Victory in Europe was claimed on May 8, 1945.
Hitler was dead. The Germans had surrendered. In the
Pacific, Okinawa, only 400 miles south of Japan, fell in
June 1945. Still, Japan did not surrender. President
Truman knew that Japanese citizens were armed. Not
just soldiers, but everyday citizens of Japan would fight
an American attack. It was thought there were still nearly two million Japanese
soldiers inside Japan. Truman thought that invading Japan would result in
many deaths on both sides. He believed the war would drag on until the last
Japanese had been killed.
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The leaders of the United States, Great Britain, and China issued the
Potsdam Declaration on July 26, 1945. This document called for the surrender
of Japan to the Allied Powers. It stated that Japan would face "prompt and
utter destruction" if it did not surrender.
3
In the 1930s, atomic power was discovered. Splitting the nucleus of
uranium atoms released a huge amount of energy. During World War II, it was
feared that Germany would be the first to use atomic weapons. Americans
were afraid Germany would make a "super bomb." American scientists
worked secretly to beat Germany in the race to develop the first atomic bomb.
It was called "the Manhattan Project." On July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb
was tested in the New Mexico desert. That first bomb had the power of 13,000
tons of explosives. A giant mushroom cloud rose over the site. Blinding light
came from the blast. Hurricane force winds swept over the desert. Huge
amounts of deadly radiation filled the area.
4
To force the Japanese to surrender, President Truman made a hard
choice. Truman chose to use the atomic bomb. He ordered this terrible new
weapon be dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945.
About 80,000 Japanese people died instantly. Tens of thousands more died
later. Some died soon after from burns. Some died years later from the effects
of the atomic radiation. Most of the city of Hiroshima burned to the ground.
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The Japanese government still did not choose to surrender. Three days
later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. Finally the
Japanese government accepted defeat. It agreed to surrender to the Allied
forces. This terrible new weapon of war brought peace - an end to World War
II.
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