August 6, 1945: The Atomic Bomb Is Dropped On Hiroshima

Aerial views of Hiroshima before and after the bombing.

At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber named the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb codenamed "Little Boy" on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The blast killed roughly 80,000 people instantly, with total deaths reaching over 140,000 by the end of the year due to radiation and injuries. [1, 2, 3]

Key Facts of the Bombing

• Date and Time: August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m. local time.
• Aircraft and Crew: Piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets in the B-29 bomber Enola Gay.
• Weapon Name: "Little Boy," a uranium-235 gun-type fission bomb.
• Explosive Power: Equivalent to about 15 to 16 kilotons of TNT. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Impact and Aftermath

•  Thousands of American lives were saved.
• Destruction: Roughly 69% of Hiroshima's buildings were completely destroyed, and severe fires swept through 4.4 square miles of the city. [1]
• Casualties: Tens of thousands of civilians, military personnel, and forced laborers died in the initial blast and subsequent firestorms. Thousands more suffered lingering deaths from radiation sickness over the following months and years. [1, 2, 3, 4]
• Surrender of Japan: Three days later on August 9, 1945, a second atomic bomb ("Fat Man") was dropped on Nagasaki. Japan announced its surrender on August 15, bringing World War II to a formal close. [1, 2, 3]

More This Day In History:

April 24 1915: The Armenian Genocide Begins

April 25, 1792: The Guillotine Is Used For The First Time

April 29, 1429: Joan Of Arc Arrives In Orleans

April 30, 1803: The Louisiana Purchase Is Completed

May 4, 1905: Construction Begins On The Panama Canal
May 5, 1818: Karl Marx Is Born
May 10, 1869: The Transcontinental Railroad Is Completed

May 14th, 1804: Lewis And Clark Begin Their Expedition Of The American West

May 18, 1925: Communist Genocidal Dictator Pol Pot Is Born - This Day In History

May 21, 1927: Charles Lindbergh Completes His Transatlantic Flight
This Day In History: May 23, 1934: Bonnie And Clyde Are Killed

May 26, 1896: Nicholas II Is Crowned Czar Of Russia
This Day In History - May 30, 1431: Joan Of Arc Is Burned At The Stake
June 4, 1989: Do You Remember The Tiananmen Square Massacre?
June 8, 1967 - The USS Liberty was attacked by Israeli Air Force jet fighters and Navy torpedo boats in international watersJune 15, 1215: King John Signs The Magna Carta
June 19, 1953: Julius And Ethel Rosenberg Are Executed For Espionage
June 21, 1788: The U.S. Constitution Is Ratified
June 22, 1633: Galileo Galilei Is Forced To Recant His Support Of The Copernican Theory
June 25, 1950: The Korean War Begins

June 26, 1948, the United States launched the Berlin Airlift, known as "Operation Vittles"
June 28, 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand Is Assassinated
June 30, 1908 The Tunguska explosion (or Tunguska event)
July 1, 1863: The Battle Of Gettysburg Begins
July 2, 1937 Amelia Earhart disappears
July 3, 1775: George Washington Takes Command Of The Continental Army
July 4, 1776: The Declaration Of Independence Is AdoptedJuly 13, 1949: Pope Pius XII excommunicates all communist Catholics
July 17, 1918: The Romanov Family Is Executed By Communists
July 19, 1799: The Rosetta Stone Is Discovered
July 21, 1861: The First Battle of Bull Run
July 22, 1298: William Wallace Is Defeated At The Battle Of Falkirk
July 25, 1898 - U.S. forces invade Puerto Rico
July 26, 1847 - Liberia proclaimed its independence: Wakanda Realized.
July 29, 1588: The Spanish Armada Is Defeated
August 3, 1492: Christopher Columbus Sets Sail For The New World
August 4, 1790: Alexander Hamilton creates Coast Guard to intercept smugglers that avoided Tariffs
August 5, 1620: The Mayflower Makes Its Failed First Attempt To Depart England