...The Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki The World War II had been going on for over two years and the U.S. was staying in isolationism. But on December 7, 1941 Japan launched an attack on Pearl Harbor. After this The United States declared war on Japan. On August 6, 1945, little boy, the first atomic bomb ever used in war was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. This resulted in 70,000-80,000 people died immediately and another 70,000 were injured. Hiroshima at the time was very large with roughly 350.000 people living there. It was chosen because it had industrial and military significance. Three days later it was followed by Fatman, the second and last atomic bomb used in war, which was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. This resulted in over 40,000-75,000 immediately dying. Originally Fatman was to be dropped on the city of Kokura, but because of the weather they decided to bomb their secondary target Nagasaki. Nagasaki was important because it was one of the largest seaports in Japan and the large industrial activities including producing military equipment.Many things led up to the bombing of these two great Japanese cities. The first event leading up to the bombing is World War II and Japans involvement in bringing the US out of isolationism. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor the US was already furious with Japan and wanted revenge. Another thing leading up to this event was Manhattan Project. This was started in 1939 when the U.S., feared that the Germans...
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...Dropping of the Atomic Bomb When it comes down to President Harry Truman dropping the atomic bomb on Japan, it seems everyone has their own personal view or opinion on rather or not he made the right decision. I’m trying to imagine myself in Truman’s time period and the position that he had to take, and I wonder. What would I have done if I was in his shoes? What would I have done differently? Was President Harry Truman’s decision completely unnecessary? Oddly I would have to say I agree with his decision, and I will explain why. First, let me explain to you what led us to the most drastic decision in history. Responding to the drop in Pearl Harbor. “When you have to deal with a beast you have to treat him as a beast (Understanding the drop of atomic bomb, pg. 1). The US had been fighting a long and massive war since 1941. Four years to be exact, is a long time for any fight. Especially when there’s no sign of either of them giving up. This began to put pressure on both leaders from the American casualties and the Japanese attitudes to end the war quickly as possible. Although Germany had finally giving up and surrendered, the Japanese had not. They were going to fight until they couldn’t fight no more, and that’s what they did. The winning of this war was so crucial and meant so much to them. They were willing to kill themselves in explosive air planes in order to kill them. This is how serious this war was to them. Truman later had American air strikes leave millions of...
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...Hiroshima and Nagasaki Takesha McCaleb Mr. Spitler Was the Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary to end the war? As I did my research on this topic I found out that some found it necessary while others didn’t. During the course of this research paper I will be discussing why the atomic bomb was dropped. The effects right after the bomb was dropped for the Japanese and Americans also the after effects such as genetic effects. I will also touch on how Americans feel about the bomb more than fifty years later and what lessons were learned throughout all of this. Hiroshima was founded in 1589, on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, and became a major urban centre during the Meiji period. The city is located on the broad, flat delta of the Ota River, which has 7 channel outlets dividing the city into six islands which project into Hiroshima Bay. The city is almost entirely flat and only slightly above sea level; to the northwest and northeast of the city, some hills rise to 700 feet. Hiroshima was founded by Mori Motonari as his capital. About a half century later, after the Battle of Sekigahara, his grandson and the leader of the West Army Mori Terumoto lost the battle. Finally Asano was appointed the daimyo of this area and Hiroshima served as the capital of Hiroshima Han during the Edo period. After the Han was abolished the city became the capital of Hiroshima prefecture. During the First Sino-Japanese War, Hiroshima emerged as a major supply and...
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...Modern History Conflict in the Pacific 1937-1941 Due: Thursday 28th of August, 2008 Alyce Wearne Task: Evaluate the argument that America was justified in using atomic weapons against Japan in 1945. As one of the most significant and consequential decisions in the history of the world, President Harry Truman’s allowance of atomic weapons towards the end of World War II, of which he himself understood would cause both mass devastation and indignation, is still one of the most controversial and heavily debated topics in today’s society. This was partially due to the adverse underestimation and seemingly ignorant approach the American’s had towards their latest development of mass destruction; almost oblivious to the immense aftermath of physical injury, civilian death and emotional torment it would produce for those involved. This decision, ultimately made by one man, affected not only America and Japan, but the world. Dispute over this was, and continues to be highly generated, the event causing anger and infuriation to millions across the world. This resentment did not just accumulate from the lack of awareness and slaughter of innocent life, but from the graphic images shown in newspapers, the casualties, and the torturous amount of death underwent as a result of the bomb. As a Japanese survivor documented: “The appearance of people was . . . well, they all had skin blackened by burns. . . . They had no hair because their hair was burned, and at a glance you...
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...scientist Albert Einstein wrote a letter to the United States president of the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, concerning the research of splitting a uranium atom that could lead to the development of an atomic bomb in Germany. In the letter, Einstein wrote,”It may be possible to set off a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium, by which large amounts of power and new radium like elements would be generated.” He continued,” This new development could lead to the creation of bombs, and as it seems, but less likely, the construction of an even bigger, new type of bomb.” President Roosevelt, although skeptical at first, decided to go through with the research and in 1941 the Manhattan Project was born. Four years later on August 6, the United States Dropped the first nuclear atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima wiping out 90 percent of the city, killing more than 80,000 people, and later tens of thousands more. Then again on August 9, another bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki and killing more than 40,000. 6 days later, the Emperor of Japan announced Japan’s official surrender to the United States in World War II. The effects and after effects of the the two bombs dropped shocked the entire world, even those a part of the Manhattan Project. The Japanese Emperor Hirohito described the bombs as the ”new and most cruel bomb.” This research paper will discuss the pros and cons of the use of nuclear weapons among different countries and how they affects the lives...
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...Research Paper: The Atomic Bomb Strayer University His 360: Twentieth Century World Research Paper: The Atomic Bomb March, 2011 Micheal McMillin Professor Curran Research Paper: Atomic Bomb: I. Executive Summary. On August Sixth and Ninth in 1945 the Japanese Island’s two cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed with a new type of weapon. The Atomic bomb created to end the Second World War, and to showcase The United States in becoming a Superpower. After the Atomic Bomb use it would affect the cities of Japan for years to come, but also the world leading to a new arms race that still affects us today. II. Essay How can one describe the power of the Atomic Bomb? With the power to bring two cities to its knees and kill thousands of people and affect people for years to come. The Atomic Bomb was used to bring Japan’s unconstitutional surrender. The used of this weapon is still under massive debate, even to this day. Was it ethical to use the Atomic Bomb not once, but twice on one nation? In using the Atomic Bomb on Japan it showed the world the deadly weapon the United States had created it. In the use of the Atomic Bomb we show the world and more importantly Russia what we developed. Now this Atomic age had begun as we enter the time known aa the Cold War. In the late 1930’s European and American physicists discovered how the fission of atoms could create a powerful an explosive weapon. In the year 1939 Albert Einstein would write a letter to President...
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...plutonium or uranium. (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016) This catastrophic bomb was used twice during World War II. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped its first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb was known as "Little Boy", a uranium gun-type bomb that exploded with about thirteen kilotons of force. Three days after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, a twenty one kiloton plutonium device known as "Fat Man.”(Atomic Heritage Foundation, 2012) This paper will discuss the creation and use of the first two atomic bombs. Early in 1939, German physicists had learned the secrets of splitting a uranium atom. Fears soon spread over the possibility of Nazi scientists utilizing that energy to produce a bomb capable of unspeakable destruction. Scientists Albert Einstein, who fled Nazi persecution, and Enrico Fermi, who escaped Fascist Italy, were now living in the United States. They agreed that President Franklin Roosevelt, must be informed of the dangers of atomic technology in the hands of the Axis powers. In late 1941, the American started to design and build an atomic bomb, which later received its code name, the Manhattan Project, which was named after one of the initial sites of research, Columbia University in Manhattan, New York. Nuclear facilities were built at Oak Ridge, Tennessee and Hanford, Washington. The main assembly plant was built at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Robert...
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...Manhattan Project Research Paper Nuclear research all started when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United States entered into World War II. When the United States realized that Germany attempted to build an atomic bomb, Americans began to concentrate on their research about creating an atomic bomb. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Manhattan Project, which included a group of top scientists, under General Leslie R. Groves, who worked around the clock to try to develop an atomic bomb within three years. The Americans and the British combined their efforts to research the development of the bomb and created plants and factories to work in. They created plants for three separate processes: electromagnetic, gaseous diffusion, and thermal diffusion. These plants helped create the plutonium and uranium 235 needed to manufacture the atomic bomb. The secrecy of the Manhattan Project was essential in order to develop the atomic bombs to end World War II. The United States and Great Britain kept the development of the atomic bomb a secret. In order to keep the secret, Groves spread the work out between laboratories so that the people working on the bomb could not figure out they were manufacturing. The members of the Manhattan Project asked the scientists questions about the bomb, and they gave answers back, but they did not know what the responses were for. The project consisted of so many restrictions for the employees in order to keep the secrecy...
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...massive, atomic weapon against Hiroshima, Japan. This atomic bomb, the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT, flattened the city, killing tens of thousands of civilians. While Japan was still trying to comprehend this devastation three days later, the United States struck again, this time, on Nagasaki.[1] The atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United States during the final stages of World War II in 1945. These two events represent the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date. [2] Following a firebombing campaign that destroyed many Japanese cities, the Allies prepared for a costly invasion of Japan. The war in Europe ended when Nazi Germany signed its instrument of surrender on 8 May, but the Pacific War continued. Together with the United Kingdom and the Republic of China, the United States called for a surrender of Japan in the Potsdam Declaration on 26 July 1945, threatening Japan with "prompt and utter destruction". The Japanese government ignored this ultimatum, and the United States deployed two nuclear weapons developed by the Manhattan Project. American airmen dropped Little Boy on the city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, followed by Fat Man over Nagasaki on 9 August.[3] Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki, with roughly half of the deaths in each city occurring on the first day.[4] The Hiroshima prefecture health department...
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...Many kinds of weapons were used in the Second World War. And of those weapons, many of them were brand new technology, developed for the war. The countries in this war all had their own special branches of technology, and used them to create weapons of destruction, ensuring their winning the battle, and bringing their soldiers home. There were three large contributors to the weapons front of the war: Small Arms, Tanks, and the Atomic Bomb. In this paper, I will explain what those weapons were, what they did, and how they fared on the battlefield. Many of the weapons in the war were small arms, used for combat between people. One of the most common small arms were pistols (World War 2 Weapons). However, they were extremely ineffective, and were only used at close range. The U.S. had some of the best pistols carried, an m1911 (World War 2 Weapons). Pistols were carried by tank crews, infantry officers, and pilots in case of an emergency. The different countries had different pistols, with the U.S. having the best one and Japan having one of the worst. Rifles were also used extensively in the war. However, many people went into battle carrying WWI rifles, which did not work as well as the newer versions....
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...The Atomic Bomb: A Necessity or a Desire Tanmay Bhanushali Year 10 Historical Paper “Great power imposes the obligation of exercising restraint” Leo Szilard - Hungarian-born Physicist and main scientist to oppose the atomic Bombings This was spoken in an interview titled “President Truman did not Understand”. This was between a US news reporter and Leo Szilard the key figure among the scientists opposing the use of the bomb. The interview was in August 15, 1960. Why was their so fierce Opposition? In what Way did Truman Not Understand? These answers lie in the depths of the controversy about the Atomic Bomb. Introduction The atomic bomb was a topic of major controversy but the main debate was about the necessity of the atomic bomb. Many say that the atomic bomb was dropped because it would save millions of American lives. However at that period the Japanese were also at the point of surrendering. Huge amounts of incendiary bombs were used in large-scale cities against japan. Many of the scientists in the Manhattan Project were disturbed about it. The incendiary bombs reduced much morale from the Japanese army and crippled the will power. However this small cripple made Japan even angrier because these incendiary bombs were used on innocent civilians and not the Japanese army. Many think that it was necessary to use the Atomic Bombs because Japan attacked America first and not the other way around. It is a fact that when Hitler attacked...
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...bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Primary Sources: Atomic Archive.(n.d.).The voice of Hibakusha [Tape recordings]. Retrieved from http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/Hibakusha/index.shtml Atomic Heritage Foundation & Los Alamos Historical Society. (n.d.). Voices of the Manhattan Project [Tape recordings]. Retrieved from http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/ Relate to Secondary Sources: The first primary source is recounts from the people who survived the bombings and what they were doing when it happened. They talk about what they saw and experienced. In “The voice of Hibakusha” the victims explain symptoms they had due to the radiation from the atomic bombs. The effects of radiation which in the article by Zeman “Taking hell’s measurements”, he says magazines mostly ignored. The second source is interviews from the people who worked on the Manhattan project and they also talk about their experiences. The second primary source shows the secrecy around the project and the scientists knowledge of the atomic bombs and the people involved. Some of the scientists talked about how deadly they knew the bombs were and how some scientists had signed a petition to not use the bombs. Add to Understanding: The primary sources let me understand the effects of the situation and how it progressed. They also helped me understand the individuals involved like the scientists, and survivors of the bombings. I do not see how I could write a paper focused on civilians and not research what the civilians...
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...Due to the enormous expense, no further tests were conducted. The second bomb, known as "Little Boy" was detonated over the city of Hiroshima, and the final bomb, "Fat Man" was detonated over the city of Nagasaki. The United States where keeping a secret away from the rest of the world and they wouldn't even tell some of the people that worked for them what they were doing. In my own opinion I think it is wrong to keep secrets from the states because many people were hurt from this. People died of cancers because of the radiation that came from the bombs. The employment went through the roof during this time. They went from pretty much just talking about a bomb on paper, and than in the late 1942 they had a project with about 125,000 active employees at its peek. The Manhattan Project was extreme secret project. By 1945, the project had nearly 40 laboratories and factories which employed about 200,000 people. Among these employees were some greatest scientist. Included: Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, Richard Feynman, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Harold Urey. There are many more but this is just a couple. This was a very important project...
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...In 1938 Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman were two German scientists who demonstrated nuclear fission. Nuclear fission released an enormous amount of energy called nuclear energy that can be used in many ways, including a dangerous weapon. They found that they could split the nucleus of a uranium atom by bombarding it with neutrons. As a result, the uranium nucleus splits some of its mass to be converted to energy. Other physicists noticed that the fission of one uranium atom gave off extra neutrons, which could in turn split other uranium atoms, starting a chain reaction. Therefore, in theory this energy could be harnessed to make a powerful bomb. Due to this, the development of the ultimate power took many scientists a lot of hard work and dedication to create such an effective bomb. First and foremost, there were problems with the political and social climate of the world that caused a race to unfold in the development of the ultimate weapon. During this period of time World War II was going on, and the United States was fighting with Germany in the Atlantic, as well as Japan in the Pacific. It all started when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, in which the other countries had joined the war for help. As a result, when Leo Szilard heard that Germany had found out about Hahn and Strassman’s discovery he thought they would produce a bomb. Leo Szilard told them that they were attempting to purify Uranium-235, which would make up the atomic bomb. With...
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...the secluded desert research facility induced Marvin to reminisce on the subject of his war years. During the war, he headed up a team of scientists and engineers that worked on the detonation device for the nuclear bomb. To maximize devastation, the bomb needed to unleash its ferocity above the ground, in contrast to conventional bombs that explode on impact. Marvin and his team engineered a system that detonated the bomb at the appropriate altitude by precisely timing a radar signal bounced off the ground. Since the apparatus that the team developed remained untested until the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, the usually self-confident engineer anxiously waited until the device performed its function successfully over the Japanese...
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