Summary:

I Summary

II  The Manhattan Project

III  Decisions, Decisions

IV  Hiroshima and Nagasaki

V  After Effects

VI  Futuristic Technologies

VII  References

 

 

 

After the second World War was almost over the United States had a dangerous decision to make. On August 6, 1945 is when the United States decided to drop the first Atom Bomb over Hiroshima if Japan choose to not surrender. By early morning on August 6, 1945 all contact with the once thriving city was lost. 70,000 people alone died from the initial blast, and the rest of the deaths were long term radiation damage.  Cleaning up the "dust that was once the city"(Nena 99 Red Balloons) was horrifying and hopefully will never happen again. After the atomic bomb attacks life was horrible because of the after effects, the damage done immidiatly in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the threat of new, thriving technologies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Manhattan  Project:

The Beginning of the Bomb

 

     World War II seemed endless, and there were more and more casualties every day. The United States needed a new plan. In December of 1941 President Roosevelt, along with other politicians, came up with a top secret plan in finishing the war (Lawton 1). They called it the Manhattan Project.  Roosevelt set the pressure of this program on the shoulders of the entire US Army Corps of Engineers (Lawton 1). In addition to these brilliant men, 100,000 other workers were employed to help create the world’s first atom bomb (Lawton1). Finally, after three years, the bomb was finished (Lawton1). The scientist’s eagerness soon turned into a dark fear after they realized what they had just created. Joseph Hirschfelder once spoke, “Everyone was agreeing on the necessity of stopping Hitler and Japan from destroying the free world. It was not n academic question, our friends and relatives were being killed and we, ourselves were desperately afraid" (Lawton 39). 

 

 

 

 

 

Decisions, Decisions  :   After the Atomic Bomb attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many Americans wondered if they made the right choice in releasing this mass-killing weapon. Some allied wartime heroes disagree strongly with the use of nuclear weaponry (Mark 2).  However, “Wartime Japanese politicians have said that without the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the peacemakers of Japan would have never have persuaded the strong military leaders to stop the war” (Lawton 38). So the question is, should the allies finish the war slowly with more casualties, or end the war immediately by wiping out half of Japan’s population.  Truman said yes to the A-bomb for three main reasons. The bomb would end the war (Gosling 19). The bomb would keep the USSR out of Asia (Gosling 19). The bomb would also test America’s new technologies (Gosling 19). This decision effected technology for the rest of eternity.

 

 

 

 

 HIROSHIMA & NAGASAKI

     Germany and the other axis powers have surrendered, Franklin Roosevelt is dead, and his vice president, now President Truman, is taking over.  However, the ‘Japs’ will not quit and they refuse to surrender.  As president Truman once spoke, “If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruins from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.” (Lawton 38) So on August 6, 1945 Truman sent the “Enola Gay” on a mission to drop ‘little boy’ (the uranium bomb) on Hiroshima (Gosling19). The plane that released‘little boy’, “Enola Gay”, dropped the a-bomb over Hiroshima at exactly 8:15AM at 31,000 feet in the air (Gosling19). By 8:16AM the US had lost all contact with the city (The Atomic Bombing18). The next day, unexpectedly, the Japanese still did not surrender. Immediately after the news had come, the Americans quickly prepared the next bomb. However, this time the bomb was plutoniumand nicknamed ‘fat man’ (Gosling19). On August 9, 1945, three days later, a b-29 named “Bock’s Car” set off to their primary topic, the city of Kokura (Mark2). The United States took very an extremely long time 

This is a photo of the bomb attack over Nagasaki     to find targets to drop the bomb. Each place had to meet a certain criteria, had no concentration camps, no prisons for allied soldiers, and no other types of hostages that were allies (Clash of Wings 3). However, due to smog and other weather conditions, the plane could not get a clear target to drop the bomb. So, the US Pilots moved onto their secondary target, the city of Nagasaki (Gosling19).  After the second atom bomb attack, the Japanese finally surrendered. All Americans were thrilled, especially the hard-working scientists who created this bomb. However, most of these scientists soon became physically and mentally ill when the realization of what they just did finally sunk in!

 

 

 

 

The "Enola Gay" at it's prime

 

The few survivors that were left from this killer bomb were nicknamed hibakushas (The Atomic Bombing 18).   Over 70,000 people died from just the initial blast (Gosling 17). The rest of the people died a painful, slow death from radiation exposure. The closest people to these two bombs died almost instantly. Their bodies would have caught a-flame and turned into black char or dust and have been swept away in the wind. 9/10 peoples a half mile or less from ground zero died (Lawton 1). A co-pilot on “Enola Gay” declared, “My God what have we done” (Lawton 38). The large amount of dust and dirt within the air could be seen from miles away. Even paper 6,400 feet away from ground zero when the bomb w ent off turned to flames and vanished into thin air (Gosling 19). Many people would agree that the disaster caused by this bomb was the worst in centuries.

 

 

 

 

The Destruction of the Bomb

 

 

 

 

 

 

FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGIES!

 

 

 Shortly after   the atom bomb, a new, more destru ctive bomb was created. We called it the Hydrogen Bomb (Gosling 17). Coun tries like Great Brittan, Australia, France, Algeria, India, Pakistan, ect. now posses the ability to make this bomb. In addition, nuclear bombs now way about 45 kg (100lbs) (The Atomic Bombing 18). However, in the 1940s, during Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the bombs weighed 5 tons (The Atomic Bombing 18). “A smell of death and corruption pervades the place”, a US Navy officer once spoke (Gosling).  Imagine a  city like Hiroshima or Nagasaki, but much, much worse. The USSR and the US now has the restrictions involving nuclear weap ons be cause of the p ower to destroy the world seven times over they once possessed (The A tomic Bombing 18). 

 

 

References:

 

 

 

 

Works Cited (ALPHABETICAL)

“Atomic Bomb.” Groiler. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://go.groiler.com/>. 15

 

 

Attack on Hiroshima. 2003. Discovery Education streaming. Web. 5 May 2010. <http://player.discoveryeducation.com/‌index.cfm?guidAssetId=57A109EB-BD2A-4F6B-AA02-A13DB87E063E&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US>. 4

 

 

Before and After. N.d. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 7 May 2010. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/‌wikipedia/‌commons/‌4/‌4e/‌Nagasaki_1945_-_Before_and_after_%28adjusted%29.jpg>. 5

 

 

Bolhm, Craig E. “Dawn of the Atomic Age.” Ebsco Host. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com/‌ehost/‌detail?vid=13&hid=7&sid=3a7b12aa-af29-4b55-a817-33b2fda4054a%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=mih&AN=43395921>. 16

 

 

Bomb damage in Tokyo. N.d. Discovery Education. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://player.discoveryeducation.com/‌index.cfm?guidAssetId=BE0CD8A4-B79C-4B50-850D-C69B00DCAD12&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US>. 6

 

 

Clash of Wings. History Channel. 8 May 2010. Television. 3

 

 

The Day After... N.d. Teachable moments. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://www.google.com/‌imgres?imgurl=http://www.teachablemoment.org/‌images/‌dbq3p3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.teachablemoment.org/‌high/‌dbq3.html&usg=__Gu323PqcH3DBmTClKLAhxgUDVIA=&h=358&w=240&sz=18&hl=en&start=48&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=_8L5d16tv6jmsM:&tbnh=121&tbn>. 7

 

 

The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: A Result of the Atomic Bomb. 2004. Discovery Education streaming. Web. 5 May 2010. <http://player.discoveryeducation.com/‌index.cfm?guidAssetId=88EF4C5B-DA7A-4464-B089-758A1F0D8A3C&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US>. 8

 

 

The dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. N.d. Discovery Education. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://player.discoveryeducation.com/‌index.cfm?guidAssetId=97495FD2-B2CC-44FF-9584-8DE72B256F27&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US>. 9

 

 

Enola Gay after dropping first atomic bomb. N.d. Discovery Education. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://player.discoveryeducation.com/‌index.cfm?guidAssetId=28C0F25F-8A54-4DDF-8F50-E839C25459C2&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US>. 10

 

 

Gosling, F. R., and Terrence R. Fehner. “The Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.” Office of History and Heritage Resources. David Rezelman, 2001. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://www.cfo.doe.gov/‌me70/‌manhattan/‌about.htm>. 17

 

 

Gosling, F. R., and Fehner R Terrence. “The Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.” Office of History and Heritage Resources. David Rezelman, 30 Apr. 2001. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.cfo.doe.gov/‌me70/‌manhattan/‌hiroshima.htm>. 19

 

 

- - -. “The Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.” Office of History and Heritage Resources. David Rezelman, 30 Apr. 2001. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.cfo.doe.gov/‌me70/‌manhattan/‌hiroshima.htm>. 18

 

 

Hiroshima after the atomic explosion. N.d. Discovery Education. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://player.discoveryeducation.com/‌index.cfm?guidAssetId=2F4D9FBD-C09A-4F94-8555-9F212675F339&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US>. 11

 

 

Hiroshima Bomb going Off. N.d. Flickr. Web. 5 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/‌photos/‌blatantnews/‌4013245327/>. 12

 

 

Hiroshima, Japan, after atomic bomb blast. N.d. Discovery Education. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://player.discoveryeducation.com/‌index.cfm?guidAssetId=E57C3CC3-7563-4EAB-BAD1-A250F4C85932&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US>. 13

 

 

Lawton, Clive A. Hiroshima. Cambridge, Massachusettes: Candlewick Press, 2004. Print. 1

 

 

Mark, Carson. “Atomic Bomb.” Americana. Groiler. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://go.grolier.com/>. 2

 

 

Where the Streets have no names. N.d. Creative Commons. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/‌photos/‌gi/‌208646759/>. 14

 

 

Created by Olive Oyl