Full Description
The atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and Nagasaki (9 August 1945) by US B-29 bombers, killing an estimated 110,000–210,000 people immediately and tens of thousands more from radiation in the following months. The bombings were followed by Japan’s surrender on 15 August 1945, ending the Second World War. They represented the first — and so far only — use of nuclear weapons in warfare, initiating the atomic age and the nuclear arms race that defined the Cold War.
Critical Perspective
The decision to use atomic bombs remains among the most contested in modern history. The Truman administration’s justification — that the bombs prevented a land invasion that would have killed millions on both sides — has been challenged by historians who note that Japan was already close to surrender, that the Soviet declaration of war against Japan (9 August) may have been the decisive factor, and that the bombings were partly designed to end the war before Soviet forces could claim a role in the Pacific settlement. The bombs were dropped on cities, killing primarily civilians — a fact that sits uncomfortably with the “military necessity” framing.
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