This week marks eighty years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima (August 6th, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9th, 1945). We would like to reflect back on previous Unwritten Record posts that highlight records documenting the destruction.
In the weeks following the surrender of Nazi Germany, President Harry S. Truman would make the decision on how to end the war on the Pacific Front. Looking to avoid an all-out invasion of the Japanese mainland and the deaths of numerous American soldiers, President Truman opted for the use of weaponry that would forever change humanity.
In the early hours of August 6th, 1945, the United States would drop their newly developed uranium-powered bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy”, over the city of Hiroshima. Nearly 70,000 people were killed instantly, with hundreds of thousands more dying as a result of the direct explosion and immense heat generated, as well as the resulting radiation exposure to follow.
With the Japanese government refusing to surrender, the second plutonium-based bomb, nicknamed “Fat Man”, would be dropped upon the town of Nagasaki shortly before 11am on August 9th. Similar to the bombing of Hiroshima, the initial detonation killed 40,000 people in an instant, with a resulting 30,000 more dying through the resulting heat, pressure, and radiation in the following months.
In Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Still Picture Branch Archivist Kaitlyn Crain Enriquez shares before and after photos from the holdings:
In Witness to Destruction: Photographs and Sound Recordings Documenting the Hiroshima Bombing, Motion Picture Preservation Specialist Audrey Amidon presents photographs of the aftermath of the bombings, as well as audio recordings from witnesses:
Records such as these ensure that these tragedies and their impact on the people of Japan are never forgotten.