Hiroshima Day is annually observed across the globe on the 6th August to remember the victims of the world’s first atomic bombing on Hiroshima, Japan during World War II(WW2).
The day also aims to create awareness about the adverse effects of Nuclear power and nuclear weapons and to promote world peace.
6th August 2021 marks the observance of the 76th anniversary of Hiroshima Day.
Background:
i.On 25th July 1945, the allied forces, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union, issued the order to attack the Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with atomic bombs.
ii.On 6th August 1945, the United States of America dropped the first nuclear bomb named “Little Boy” on the City of Hiroshima which killed more than 140,000 people, which is around 39% of its population and later on 9th August 1945, the 2nd bomb named “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki killing another 40000 people.
iii.The first Hiroshima Day was observed on 6th August 1947.
Facts on the Bombing of Hiroshima:
i.The ‘Little Boy’ contains enriched uranium and has a blast yield of 13 kilotons of (Trinitrotoluene) TNT.
ii.Colonel Paul Tibbets was the pilot of the B-29 Superfortress bomber named “Enola Gay” which dropped the ‘little boy’ over Hiroshima.
iii.The atomic bomb survivors are referred to as ‘Hibakusha’ in Japanese, which translates to “Bomb affected people”.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial:
i.Hiroshima Peace Memorial, ‘The Genbaku Dome’, was the only structure left standing in the region of the first atomic bomb explosion on 6th August 1945.
ii.The Genbaku Dome was declared as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) World Heritage site in 1996 under the name “Hiroshima Peace Memorial”.
