128. The Nuclear Bombing of Japan

The United States is the first and only country to use nuclear weapons in the history of the world. These attacks came in August, 1945, during the final stages of World War II against the Empire of Japan. Two cities targeted by the U.S.

were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The war in Europe was over in May of that year, with Nazi Germany's surrender, but the Japanese carried on. The U.S. and its allies conducted a firebombing campaign against the Japanese. It devastated the country, but they would not surrender. 

The allies were looking at a costly campaign to invade the Japanese mainland. The Japanese were determined to fight to the last person to defend their country, if necessary. 

This was a major factor in the decision to use the atomic bomb. The U.S., along with China and the United Kingdom, called for Japan's surrender in July 1945 with a threat of devastation, but Japan refused. 

On August 9, the first bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. Nicknamed "Little Boy," the bomb killed approximately 90,000 to 170,000 Japanese citizens. 

The blast completely destroyed the city. Three days later, a second bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man," destroyed the city of Nagasaki. That bomb killed an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 Japanese citizens. About half of the total deaths were immediate. 

The remainder of the deaths came months after, when the survivors of the initial blast became sick from radiation poisoning, and injuries. On August 15, after the two atomic bomb attacks, and a declaration of war on Japan by the Soviet Union, Japan decided to surrender. 

The reasoning behind the decision to use nuclear weapons on Japan is debated to this date. Many say that the bombs saved Japanese, and American lives. 

The argument is that because of Japanese determination, many more lives would have been lost. In any event, the two attacks are the only nuclear attacks in world history.

Vocabulary Words

                                                           

No.	Word	Definition	Example Sentence
01	nuclear weapons	explosive devices that derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions	The United States is the first and only country to use nuclear weapons.
02	history of the world	the chronological record of events concerning the entire globe	...in the history of the world.
03	attacks	acts of military aggression or violence	These attacks came in August, 1945.
04	World War II	the global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945	...during the final stages of World War II.
05	Empire of Japan	the historical Japanese state during the time of the attacks	...against the Empire of Japan.
06	Hiroshima and Nagasaki	the two Japanese cities targeted by the atomic bombs	Two cities targeted by the U.S. were Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
07	surrender	to cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority	...with Nazi Germany's surrender.
08	allies	states formally cooperating with another for a military or other purpose	The U.S. and its allies conducted a firebombing campaign.
09	firebombing campaign	a series of intensive air raids designed to cause widespread fires	The U.S. and its allies conducted a firebombing campaign.
10	invade the Japanese mainland	to enter and occupy the principal landmass of Japan by military force	...a costly campaign to invade the Japanese mainland.
11	determination	firmness of purpose; resolve	The Japanese were determined to fight to the last person.
12	devastation	severe and overwhelming destruction	...with a threat of devastation, but Japan refused.
13	Little Boy	the nickname for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima	Nicknamed "Little Boy," the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
14	Fat Man	the nickname for the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki	A second bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man," destroyed the city of Nagasaki.
15	radiation poisoning	illness and injury caused by exposure to high levels of radiation	...survivors became sick from radiation poisoning.
16	Soviet Union	the country that declared war on Japan shortly after the bombings	...and a declaration of war on Japan by the Soviet Union.
17	debated	discussed by considering opposing arguments	The reasoning behind the decision... is debated to this date.
18	costly campaign	a military operation that would result in many deaths and/or high expenditure	The allies were looking at a costly campaign.
19	refused	indicated that one is not willing to do something	...with a threat of devastation, but Japan refused.
20	total deaths	the overall number of fatalities from both immediate and delayed causes	About half of the total deaths were immediate.

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Comprehension Questions

                                                       

No.	Question	Answer
01	What is the first and only country to use nuclear weapons?	The United States.
02	In what year did these attacks occur?	1945.
03	Against what country were the nuclear weapons used?	The Empire of Japan.
04	What were the two Japanese cities targeted?	Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
05	When did the war in Europe end?	May of that year (1945).
06	What kind of campaign did the U.S. and its allies conduct before the atomic bombs?	A firebombing campaign.
07	What major factor contributed to the decision to use the atomic bomb?	The Japanese were determined to fight to the last person (leading to a costly invasion).
08	What three countries called for Japan's surrender in July 1945?	The U.S., China, and the United Kingdom.
09	What was the nickname of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima?	"Little Boy."
10	Approximately how many people were killed by the first bomb (Little Boy)?	90,000 to 170,000.
11	What was the nickname of the second bomb?	"Fat Man."
12	What condition caused the deaths of survivors in the months following the blasts?	Radiation poisoning and injuries.
13	What percentage of total deaths were immediate?	About half (50%).
14	What major country declared war on Japan around the time of the bombings?	The Soviet Union.
15	When did Japan decide to surrender?	August 15, 1945.
16	The debate over using the bombs centers on whether they saved what?	Japanese and American lives.
17	The U.S. use of nuclear weapons is referred to as the only what in world history?	Nuclear attacks.
18	In what month did the first atomic bomb drop?	August (August 9).
19	The attacks occurred during the final stages of which war?	World War II.
20	How many days passed between the drop of "Little Boy" and "Fat Man"?	Three days.