SAEDNEWS: The bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 by the United States is a tragic event in history, marking the first use of nuclear weapons in warfare, calling into question the future of the humanity.
Now, 80 years after the Hiroshima disaster, the expansion and development of the United States' nuclear arsenal is still threatening the security and stability of the whole world.
The US Armed Forces carried out the first-ever atomic bombing in history, striking the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki toward the tail end of World War II.
The United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, with the consent of the United Kingdom, as required by the Quebec Agreement. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians.
Hiroshima commemorates the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing that destroyed most of the city.
Residents of Japan today observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima carried out by the United States 80 years ago.
Every year, the main memorial ceremony on the anniversary of the tragedy is held in the Peace Memorial Park in the center of Hiroshima. The minute of silence is also announced throughout the country at 08:15 local time - the moment the bomb exploded on August 6, 1945.
The event is commemorated annually, with many reflecting on the devastating consequences and the importance of striving for a peaceful world.
The two nuclear bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 killed and maimed hundreds of thousands of people, and their effects are still being felt today.
By the end of 1945, the bombing had killed an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima, and a further 74,000 in Nagasaki. It is estimated that of those killed, 38,000 were children. In the years that followed, many of survivors faced leukemia, cancer, or other terrible side effects from the radiation.
The uranium bomb detonated over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 had an explosive yield equal to 15,000 tons of TNT. It razed and burnt around 70 percent of all buildings and caused an estimated 140,000 deaths by the end of 1945, along with increased rates of cancer and chronic disease among the survivors.
A slightly larger plutonium bomb exploded over Nagasaki three days later levelled 6.7 square kilometers of the city and killed 74,000 people by the end of 1945. Ground temperatures reached 4,000°C and radioactive rain poured down.
The consent of the United Kingdom was obtained for the bombing, as was required by the Quebec Agreement, and orders were issued on July 25 by General Thomas T. Handy, the acting chief of staff of the US Army, for atomic bombs to be used on Hiroshima, Kokra, Niigata, and Nagasaki. These targets were chosen because they were large urban areas that also held militarily significant facilities.
On 6 August, a Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, a Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki. Over the next two to four months, the effects of the atomic bombings killed 90,000 to 166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000 to 80,000 people in Nagasaki; roughly half the deaths occurred on the first day.
For months afterward, many people continued to die from the effects of burns, radiation sickness and other injuries, compounded by illness and malnutrition. Despite Hiroshima's sizable military garrison, estimated at 24,000 troops, some 90% of the dead were civilians.
The United States has committed more crimes than any other country in history, and unfortunately, even though the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States never changed its policies toward other nations.
Although the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a reminder of America's great crime against humanity, the people of the world today can witness the amount of destruction and killings that take place on a daily basis with the use of American weapons.
