Video: Rare photos of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, dedicated to the anniversary of the tragedy
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki went down in history as the only case of the use of nuclear weapons. Photos of destroyed cities and people affected by the explosion amazed even the creators of the atomic bomb. You can estimate the scale of the tragedy by comparing the rare surviving pictures of Hiroshima before and after the explosion.
The US armed forces dealt a devastating blow to Japan, dropping two nuclear bombs on it on August 6 and 9, 1946. Thus, formally, putting an end to the Second World War, started by Germany, Italy and Japan.
According to various sources, the number of victims of the bombing ranged from 150 to 250 thousand people. However, these figures do not include radiation victims and deaths over the next years.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not chosen for the bombing by accident. The main purpose of using these weapons was psychological pressure on Japan and the recognition of the power of nuclear weapons by the world community. For this, cities were selected that were to be almost completely destroyed after the explosions. Five cities met the main criteria: Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagasaki, Kokura and Niigachi. However, Kyoto was immediately struck out, as it was of too much cultural value. But the fate of Hiroshima was a foregone conclusion. She perfectly fit the selection criteria: flammable low buildings and the geographical location of the city. The blast wave, thanks to the hills around the city, should have blown it to the ground. The result exceeded expectations: the photographs of the destruction and the injured people terrified and surprised everyone who saw them, even the creators of the atomic bombs themselves.
The photographs show that only solid cement structures were able to survive. The first thing that eyewitnesses remember is a bright light, followed by a wave of heat, burning everything around. Closer to the epicenter, all flammable objects, including people, almost immediately turned into coal. The flash of light was so bright that human silhouettes remained on the walls of houses. The shadow from the fence, located 900 meters from the epicenter, was imprinted on the asphalt road. According to which, in the future, the military calculated the place of the explosion. The light burned out drawings on everything, even on the skin of people: on one of the women on the back, a drawing from a kimono remained for life.
At that time, no one yet knew about radiation sickness and had no idea about radiation pollution. Therefore, people who settled in the cities rebuilt after the explosion were often sick, not knowing the reason.
Today, decades later, the radiation level has returned to normal, and the destroyed cities shine with new colors. The townspeople try not to remember the events of the past years. However, every year, the Japanese authorities and eyewitnesses to the nuclear explosions gather with their families at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima to honor the memory of the victims.
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