Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

On 6 August 1945, the B-29 Enola Gay, commanded by Paul Tibbets, dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on 9 August as the Soviet Union also entered the war against Japan.

The explosions and subsequent radiation killed large numbers of civilians and destroyed much of both cities. Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s acceptance of surrender terms on 15 August.

Truman, Paul Tibbets, the Manhattan Project, Japanese civilians and the political and moral decisions surrounding the end of the Pacific War.