Hiroshima, the atomic bomb

Upload: 28 February 2020, Last update: 29 February 2020

Atomic bomb “Little Boy”[0.5] was dropped by B29 Enola Gay in Hiroshima[0.6] “at 8:15 am on 6 August” 1945[1] — “43 seconds later”[1.1] exploded — after the Trinity test succeeded on 16 July the same year[2].

The a-bomb exploded about 600 meters above[2.1] of the present (as of February 2020) Shima clinic for internal medicine which had been originally serving as Shima hospital since 1933[2.2].

3 days later from the bomb in Hiroshima, on 9 August, Fatman was dropped in Nagasaki[2.5].

Because of Little Boy in Hiroshima, it is estimated that about 140,000 people died until the end of 1945 according to Hiroshima city[3].

The atomic bomb’s tremendous energy comes from nuclear fission.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, or the Atomic Bomb Dome (Genbaku Dome)[3.5] was Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotional Hall[3.6] which had been a building for local industry[4][4.5]. It was designed by Jan Letzel[5], architect who was “born in Náchod”[6] of “the present Czech Republic”[7]. He was asked by the then governor of Hiroshima prefecture Sukeyuki Terada in July 1913[8].

“In May 2016,”[9] Barack Obama, who was then in office as the 44th US president[10], visited Hiroshima.

The visit I went in February 2020 gave me opportunity to think about not just 1945 atomic bomb but also more broadly nuclear related issues. I think that preserving buildings and creating this sort of place to the world is important to convey history to people including the future generations. Because Hiroshima now preserves the history, I got an opportunity to look at the history after the visiting was planned, and I will try to think about more on these matters.

[0.5] Le Monde. Comment fonctionne une bombe atomique ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PARlF1tKfg Posted on 4 August 2017. Accessed 18 January 2020. Around 0:22-.

[0.6] CNN. Why the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Available at https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/06/us/hiroshima-anniversary-explainer-trnd/index.html Last update on 6 August 2019. Accessed 13 February 2020.

[1] The City of Hiroshima. 原爆被害の概要. Available at http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/contents/1111637106129/index.html Accessed 12 February 2020.

[1.1] The City of Hiroshima. 原爆被害の概要. http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/contents/1111637106129/index.html Accessed 16 February 2020.

[2] WIRED. July 16, 1945: Trinity Blast Opens Atomic Age. https://www.wired.com/2008/07/dayintech-0716-2/ Published on 16 July 2008. Accessed 18 January 2020.

[2.1] Based on the description on a webpage of 島内科医院, available at http://www.shimagekanaika.jp/access.html Accessed 16 February 2020, an explanation in front of the clinic, visited in 2020, and the City of Hiroshima’s webpage 原爆被害の概要 available at http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/contents/1111637106129/index.html accessed 16 February 2020.

[2.2] Based on the description on a webpage of Shima clinic for internal medicine, available at http://www.shimagekanaika.jp/access.html accessed 16 February 2020.

[2.5] CNN. Why the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Available at https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/06/us/hiroshima-anniversary-explainer-trnd/index.html Last update on 6 August 2019. Accessed 13 February 2020.

[3] A Hiroshima city webpage in which the estimation of casualties is mentioned. Available at http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/contents/1111638957650/index.html Accessed 12 February 2020.

[3.5] UNESCO. Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome). Available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/775/ Accessed 13 February 2020. The website of and named Atomic Bomb Dome organised by Hiroshima city available at http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/dome/genre/1001000050001/index.html Accessed 13 February 2020.

[3.6] The English translation of Hiroshimaken-sangyo-syourei-kan (広島県産業奨励館) as Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotional Hall is based on the description on the website of UNESCO. Available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/775/. Accessed 13 February 2020.

[4] 頴原澄子. 原爆ドーム: 物産陳列館から広島平和記念碑へ. 吉川弘文館. ISBN978-4-642-05831-5. p.10. pp.48-50.

[4.5] The name of the building when constructed in 1915 was Hiroshimaken-bussan-chinretsukan (広島県物産陳列館) in Japanese, changed in [Source: p.10 of 頴原 澄子. 原爆ドーム: 物産陳列館から広島平和記念碑へ. 吉川弘文館. ISBN978-4-642-05831-5.]

[5] 頴原澄子. 原爆ドーム: 物産陳列館から広島平和記念碑へ. 吉川弘文館. ISBN978-4-642-05831-5. pp.36-38.

[6] Ibid. p.26.

[7] Ibid. p.26.

[8] Ibid. p.25, 36.

[9] CNN. Why the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Available at https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/06/us/hiroshima-anniversary-explainer-trnd/index.html Last update on 6 August 2019. Accessed 13 February 2020.

[10] CNN. Why the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Available at https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/06/us/hiroshima-anniversary-explainer-trnd/index.html Last update on 6 August 2019. Accessed 13 February 2020 and https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/barack-obama/ Accessed 14 February 2020.