ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR DECEMBER 7, 1941
Japanese air and naval forces launched a surprise attack on the U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The attack happened on December 7, 1941. Eighteen U.S. ships were damaged or sunk during the attack, including eight battleships, and 188 Army and Navy aircraft were destroyed. 2,403 U.S. military were killed, 1,178 people were wounded. Towards the end, the Japanese lost only 29 aircraft and suffered fewer than 100 casualties.
Japanese air and naval forces launched a surprise attack on the U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The attack happened on December 7, 1941. Eighteen U.S. ships were damaged or sunk during the attack, including eight battleships, and 188 Army and Navy aircraft were destroyed. 2,403 U.S. military were killed, 1,178 people were wounded. Towards the end, the Japanese lost only 29 aircraft and suffered fewer than 100 casualties.
ATOMIC BOMB
The development of the atomic bomb in the 1940s would change the course of history and set the stage for the arms race of the cold war that followed. An atomic bomb involves fission, or the splitting, of atoms, especially isotopes of unstable elements like uranium and plutonium. In creating a massive explosion, atomic and nuclear weapons emit deadly radiation that can lead to numerous ailments, killing victims months and years after detonation.
The development of the atomic bomb in the 1940s would change the course of history and set the stage for the arms race of the cold war that followed. An atomic bomb involves fission, or the splitting, of atoms, especially isotopes of unstable elements like uranium and plutonium. In creating a massive explosion, atomic and nuclear weapons emit deadly radiation that can lead to numerous ailments, killing victims months and years after detonation.
HIROSHIMA AUGUST 6, 1945
On August 6 1945, an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped the first operational atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Hiroshima was the first of two cities attacked with atomic bombs in 1945. Hiroshima had come to symbolize the end of World War II and the beginning of the atomic age. Many of the injured were terribly burned. Memories of the survivors were vivid, horrifying, and often grotesque. The fact that most of the buildings in the city were made of wood contributed to the firestorm that swept the city.
On August 6 1945, an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped the first operational atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Hiroshima was the first of two cities attacked with atomic bombs in 1945. Hiroshima had come to symbolize the end of World War II and the beginning of the atomic age. Many of the injured were terribly burned. Memories of the survivors were vivid, horrifying, and often grotesque. The fact that most of the buildings in the city were made of wood contributed to the firestorm that swept the city.
NAGASAKI AUGUST 9, 1945
Nagasaki was a large city located on the southern coast of Japan, and it was the target of the second nuclear weapon dropped in World War II by the United States on August 9, 1945. The weapon was the Fat Man design of a plutonium-fueled weapon, identical to one that had been tested at the trinity test at Alamogordo, New Mexico, weighing about 10,000 pounds and measuring about five feet in diameter.
Nagasaki was a large city located on the southern coast of Japan, and it was the target of the second nuclear weapon dropped in World War II by the United States on August 9, 1945. The weapon was the Fat Man design of a plutonium-fueled weapon, identical to one that had been tested at the trinity test at Alamogordo, New Mexico, weighing about 10,000 pounds and measuring about five feet in diameter.
END OF WWII - AUGUST 14, 1945
Japan could no longer put off the World War. On August 10, the Japanese government agreed to surrender, asking only that the emperor continue to rule. The United States replied that the emperor would be subject to the orders of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers during the postwar occupation of Japan. The emperor accepted this condition on August 14, which was celebrated in the United States as Victory over Japan Day. On August 15, Hirohito's voice was heard on the Japanese radio for the first time, telling his people that Japan had lost the war.
On September 2, 1945, the Japanese signed the surrender documents aboard the United States battleship Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay. Gen. Douglas MacArthur accepted the Japanese surrender on behalf of the Allies, saying:
It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past—a world founded upon faith and understanding—a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish—for freedom, tolerance and justice.
Japan could no longer put off the World War. On August 10, the Japanese government agreed to surrender, asking only that the emperor continue to rule. The United States replied that the emperor would be subject to the orders of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers during the postwar occupation of Japan. The emperor accepted this condition on August 14, which was celebrated in the United States as Victory over Japan Day. On August 15, Hirohito's voice was heard on the Japanese radio for the first time, telling his people that Japan had lost the war.
On September 2, 1945, the Japanese signed the surrender documents aboard the United States battleship Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay. Gen. Douglas MacArthur accepted the Japanese surrender on behalf of the Allies, saying:
It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past—a world founded upon faith and understanding—a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish—for freedom, tolerance and justice.