Hiroshima’s bombing legacy: What radiation did to a city in 1945
Al Jazeera · Recent
Al Jazeera
Recent
Japan is preparing to mark 80 years since the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Decades on, the annual ceremony at Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park commemorates both the catastrophic human cost and warnings against future arms escalation.
Breakdown
- The United States dropped the first nuclear weapon on Hiroshima using a B-29 bomber.
- Hiroshima's population had swelled to 350,000 due to military personnel and refugees. 24s
- The bomb detonated 600 meters above the city, killing an estimated 80,000 people instantly. 38s
- Radiation poisoning contributed to a death toll that rose to about 140,000. 1m 0s
- Seven years later, the U.S. tested a hydrogen bomb nearly 700 times more powerful. 1m 12s