Atomic Bomb, Nagasaki, August 9th, 1945 #1

The bombing of Nagasaki on August 9th was the last major act of World War Two and within days the Japanese had surrendered. Nagasaki was a major... more

by Science Source

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Atomic Bomb, Nagasaki, August 9th, 1945 #1

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Science Source

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The bombing of Nagasaki on August 9th was the last major act of World War Two and within days the Japanese had surrendered. Nagasaki was a major shipbuilding city and a large military port. But it was not a favored target as it had been bombed five times in the previous twelve months and any damage caused by an atomic bomb would have been difficult to assess. Fat Man was a very effective bomb. Its blast was bigger than Little Boy's but its impact was reduced by the natural topography of the city. Where the bomb blast hit at its peak, massive damage was done. An area about 2.3 miles by 1.9 miles was destroyed. In 1953, a report by the US Strategic Bombing Survey put the number of deaths at 35,000, wounded at 60,000 and 5,000 missing. In 1960, the Japanese put the number of dead at Nagasaki at 20,000 and the number of wounded at 50,000. Later, the Nagasaki Prefectural Office put the figure for deaths alone at 87,000 with 70% of the city's industrial zone destroyed.

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March 13th, 2013