This Day in History: 9 August 2020
9 August 1945
75 years ago, today, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Japan by the United States. This time it was dropped on Nagasaki, resulting in Japan's unconditional surrender. The devastation seen at Hiroshima a few days prior was not enough to convince the Japanese War Council to accept the Potsdam Conference's demands for an unconditional surrender. Luckily, the United States had already planned to drop their second bomb on August 11 in case of such an event, but bad weather had the date pushed up. Early in the morning, a specially adapted bomber plane took off from Tinian Island and dropped the bomb, nicknamed 'Fat Man'.
Nagasaki was a ship building centre, so had the very industry intended for destruction. The explosion unleashed the force of 22,000 tons of TNT on the city, killing an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 people. The man responsible for organising the Manhattan Project, General Leslie R. Groves, estimated that another atomic bomb would be ready to use by August 17, but it was not necessary. The War Council still remained divided, but Emperor Hirohito, encouraged by two War Council members eager to end the war, met with the Council and expressed his worry at the likelihood of more Japanese deaths. The Emperor then gave his permission for Japan's unconditional surrender.
Want to find out more about the Nagasaki atomic bombing? Click here for more information, or here for more about the man who survived both atomic bombings.
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