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. ​ August 8, 2025

The War that Changed the World: The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

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"If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky...That would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, The shatterer of worlds" - J. Robert Oppenheimer

Hi Reader, welcome back to our coverage of what happened in the skies and on the ground during World War II. This week, we mark the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing and the honor those who lived through it. Join us as we delve into the history of one of the most pivotal conflicts ever and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

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80th Anniversary - Hiroshima

This week marks the 80th anniversary of one of the most consequential and sobering moments in human history. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, forever changing the nature of warfare. Just three days later, on August 9, a second atomic bomb was detonated over Nagasaki. In an instant, tens of thousands of lives were lost, and many more would suffer and die in the months and years to come from radiation exposure. These bombings played a decisive role in Japan’s decision to surrender, effectively ending the Second World War.

The path to these events began weeks earlier. On July 16, 1945, the United States successfully tested the first atomic device in the New Mexico desert during the Trinity test. Even before the dust had settled, components for the next bombs were already on their way to the Pacific. By July 26, parts for the first operational bomb—nicknamed “Little Boy”—had arrived on the island of Tinian in the Northern Marianas. Shortly after, components for the second bomb, “Fat Man,” followed. By early August, both were ready for use.

On the night of August 5, the B-29 bomber Enola Gay was prepared for its mission. Just before takeoff, pilot Colonel Paul W. Tibbets named the aircraft in honor of his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets. At 2:45 a.m., the bomber departed Tinian with two support aircraft, heading for its primary target: Hiroshima. The city, with a population of over 340,000, was a major military and industrial center. At exactly 8:15 a.m. on August 6, the Enola Gay released Little Boy, which detonated 1,900 feet above the city with the force of 15,000 tons of TNT. Nearly everything within a one-mile radius was destroyed in seconds, and an estimated 70,000 people were killed instantly. Fires swept through the ruins, and by the end of 1945, the death toll had risen dramatically as survivors succumbed to injuries and radiation sickness.

Three days later, on August 9, the second mission took place. The B-29 Bockscar, piloted by Major Charles W. Sweeney, initially set course for Kokura. Poor visibility caused by smoke from nearby bombings forced the crew to divert to their secondary target, Nagasaki. At 11:02 a.m., “Fat Man” detonated over the city with a blast equivalent to 21,000 tons of TNT. The more mountainous terrain of Nagasaki contained some of the destruction, but the bomb still leveled much of the city, killing around 40,000 people instantly and leaving tens of thousands more injured. By year’s end, the death toll had surpassed 70,000.

The twin bombings, combined with the Soviet Union’s declaration of war on Japan on August 8, brought Japan to the brink. On August 15, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s unconditional surrender, citing the unprecedented destructive power of the new weapon. The formal surrender ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, marking the end of the deadliest conflict in human history.

In the decades since, the world has grappled with the moral, political, and human consequences of those days in August. For the survivors, known in Japan as hibakusha—“bomb-affected people”—life was marked by enduring physical suffering, radiation-related illnesses, and the trauma of witnessing devastation on an unimaginable scale. Their stories, along with the anniversary we mark today, serve as both a reminder of the terrible cost of war and a call to ensure such weapons are never used again.

Eighty years later, Hiroshima and Nagasaki stand as symbols—of unimaginable loss, but also of resilience and peace. This anniversary is not only a moment to look back at the closing chapter of World War II, but also to reflect on the lessons it left behind for future generations.

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The Man Who Survived Two Atomic Bombs

Tsutomu Yamaguchi, born on March 16, 1916, was a Japanese engineer whose life became an extraordinary testament to human survival. In the summer of 1945, at age 29, he worked as a nautical engineer for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki but was in Hiroshima on a temporary work assignment.

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On the morning of August 6, 1945, Yamaguchi was preparing to leave Hiroshima by train when he realized he had forgotten an important set of documents at his workplace. While walking toward the docks to retrieve them, at precisely 8:15 a.m., the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay released the atomic bomb “Little Boy” just three kilometers (1.9 miles) away. The blinding flash and immense shockwave threw him into the air. His eardrums ruptured, his left side was badly burned, and he was temporarily blinded.

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Dazed but alive, Yamaguchi crawled to a nearby shelter, where he rested before setting out to find his colleagues. Remarkably, they too had survived. That night, they sheltered together as the devastated city burned around them. At dawn, Yamaguchi began the long journey home to Nagasaki. The path to the train station was one of horror—bridges destroyed, streets littered with debris, and rivers clogged with the bloated bodies of men, women, and children. Though the images would haunt him for the rest of his life, his only thought in that moment was to keep moving west.

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After a grueling trip, he arrived in Nagasaki on August 8 and sought treatment for his injuries. Bandaged but determined, he returned to work the very next day. While recounting his experience in Hiroshima to his skeptical supervisor on the morning of August 9, 1945, the city was rocked by yet another blinding flash. The second atomic bomb, “Fat Man,” had just exploded. Once again, Yamaguchi was thrown to the ground—but he, his wife, and their five-month-old son all survived.

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In the early 1950s, Yamaguchi and his wife welcomed two more children, and he continued working for Mitsubishi. In 1957, the Japanese government formally recognized hibakusha—atomic bomb survivors—but initially acknowledged Yamaguchi only for Nagasaki. He did not protest at the time, instead focusing on raising his family and rebuilding his life.

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As he grew older, however, Yamaguchi began speaking publicly about the horrors he had witnessed. He wrote poetry, published his memoir A Life Well-Lived, and became an advocate for nuclear disarmament. In March 2009, the Japanese government granted him a rare and historic honor: official recognition as a survivor of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He remains the only person to have received such double acknowledgment. Yamaguchi hoped this status would help preserve the memory of the bombings and serve as a warning for future generations.

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The bombs left lasting scars. Yamaguchi suffered hearing loss and cataracts, while his wife endured chronic illness from radiation exposure, eventually dying of kidney and liver cancer in 2008. All three of their children experienced health problems, which they attributed to their parents’ exposure. In 2009, Yamaguchi was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He died on January 4, 2010, in Nagasaki at the age of 93.

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Today, 80 years after the atomic bombings, Tsutomu Yamaguchi’s story endures as a powerful reminder of the human cost of nuclear war. He lived through the two most destructive moments in modern history, carried their memory for the world, and used his voice to call for a future without such weapons.

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Their Voices

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Click above to read in-depth testimonials from those who lived through the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

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Did You Know?

The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was originally intended for another Japanese city, Kokura. On August 9, 1945, poor visibility over Kokura caused the B-29 bomber Bockscar to divert to its secondary target, Nagasaki. This twist of fate led to the phrase “Kokura’s luck” in Japan, referring to a narrow escape from disaster.

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"You are only given One life, So cherish this moment Cherish this day, Be kind to others, Be kind to yourself." - Yasujiro Tanaka, Nagasaki survivor

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