(The following video is shown to many Japanese children at school to educate them about this day. As it has some intense and traumatic scenes, viewer discretion is advised.)
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| Human Shadow Etched In StoneーThis is the shadow of a man that was created from intense radiation on this day. He was waiting for the bank to open on these steps when the bomb fell. Today, this stone can be seen at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum located in Hiroshima, Japan. |
So what made Little Boy so devastating?
The bomb itself was approximately 120 inches long and 28 inches in diameter. It was worth 15,000 tons of TNT and weighed 9,700 pounds. It had a very complex design and utilized enriched Uranium-235 (today, U-235 is used in nuclear power plants) and was filled up with 141 pounds of it. About 1.38% of the Uranium went through nuclear fission, transforming into kinetic energy, heat, and radiation. At impact, neutron initiators in the bomb started the chain reaction and resulted in the devastating explosion.
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| The complex design of the Little Boy
The process up to August 6th was very long. There were no full-tests of the bomb. It was concluded that there shouldn't be any full-tests because many of the components of the bombs were tested in lab experiments. The full project took 4 years to complete and cost $2 billion (valued at $20 billion in 2017).
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| Scientists and military personnel load the bomb on the Enola Gay. |
While Little Boy is remembered to be the first nuclear weapon to be used in a war, it is also important to remember the many lives that were lost due to these experiments. Unfortunately, the advancement of American military technology led to this devastation. To this day, it is debated if Truman's decision with dropping the bomb is acceptable or not. Even now, many people in Japan (including their children) who lived through the two attacks suffer side effects of the exposure to radiation. It is deeply encouraged to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial to learn more about this tragic day.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEOZ1sBppWs
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BA%83%E5%B3%B6%E5%B8%82%E3%81%B8%E3%81%AE%E5%8E%9F%E5%AD%90%E7%88%86%E5%BC%BE%E6%8A%95%E4%B8%8B
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Boy_Internal_Components.png
https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/little-boy-and-fat-man
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Boy#Design
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_Peace_Memorial
Thought provoking post. I like how you both discussed the science behind the bomb,how the Japanese feel about the bomb, and somewhat your opinion. If I were to suggest something, give more of what you think. It IS a blog of course, get spicy with it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your very insightful post about Little Boy. The devastation and destruction caused by this bomb was very significant, which is clear from the fact that the bomb has never been used since WWII due to the amount of overall destruction it would cause. I have visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and it seeing the place in real life really helped me understand how terrible the use of nuclear bombs is, and made me hope that such bombs will never be dropped again.
ReplyDeleteThis post was very informative on the background of the first atomic bomb ever used in battle, and the examples of people who were affected by this event really humanized it for me. Although, I find it interesting how, when discussing the atomic bomb, Hiroshima is the one instance that always comes up. Some information about Nagasaki, the other city which was bombed:
ReplyDeleteHiroshima was bombed first, and even with the immense destruction Little Boy had inflicted, the Japanese War Council still refused to agree to unconditional surrender. Thus began preparation for the second bomb, "Fat Man," to be dropped on Nagasaki. The explosion unleashed the equivalent of 22,000 tons of TNT. The number killed by the bomb was estimated to be around 60,000 to 80,000, and only after this event did Japan surrender to the Allies.
Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-nagasaki