I wasn’t born yet. The story, a real one, was related to me at school. Else I only read about it. It’s exactly 62 years today. It was the first time a nuclear weapon was used in warfare; the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. It contained uranium. This followed a successful test of one bomb, using plutonium, carried out on July 16, 1945, at a site 193 km (120 miles) south of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The explosion was such that it devastated instantly and completely 10 square kilometers of the city centre of Japan where more than 340 000 people lived. It killed more than 60 000 people and injured another 60 000 plus.
Three days later another atomic bomb, this one of plutonium type, was dropped on Nagasaki where nearly 40 000 people were killed and some 25 000 injured.
It was Harry S Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb shortly after he was sworn in as President of the United States and after he received a report from Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson.
The explosion of an atom bomb results in the splitting of nuclei of uranium or plutonium. Great amount of thermal energy, as well as gamma rays, causing serious damage to living cells, are released.
A very sad anniversary indeed in the history of mankind. Unfortunately.
Mauritian residing in Rodrigues, Amanoola Khayrattee (pen name Alfa King) is contributing writer and journalist to La Gazette Mag de l’océan indien and This Week News Mauritius.
Retired, former meteorological cadre, trade unionist and OSH consultant, Amanoola has written for in-house union and other journals, publications and magazines. He runs two blogs since 2007: “Alfa King Memories”, and “Le Journal d’Alfa King”. When he is not reading or writing, he is on a 10+ km daily hike in anticipation of his monthly trails.
Amanoola may be reached at [email protected].