On August 6, 1945, the United States of America dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, causing about 140,000 casualties.
Hiroshima Day, the commemoration of the victims of the first atomic bombing, takes place on Tuesday, August 6. The United Nations General Assembly has designated August 29 as the International Day Against Nuclear Tests and September 26 as the International Day for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.
Since 2009, August 29 has been observed as the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, and since December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly has declared September 26 as the International Day for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.
This commemorative day was established after the two atomic bombs dropped (Little Boy and Fat Man) resulted in the immediate deaths of approximately 100,000 to 200,000 people (mostly civilians) and even more over time.
The United States of America dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945, an attack that claimed about 140,000 lives.
On August 6, 1945, the B-29 bomber “Enola Gay” took off from the American military airfield on Tinian Island in the Marianas, and the bomb on board was dropped on Hiroshima at about 08:15 local time.
The projectile exploded after 45 seconds over the center of the Japanese city.
Three days later, the “Fat Man” bomb destroyed the city of Nagasaki. After Japan’s surrender, the Second World War ended.
About 140,000 people, almost half of the city’s population, died in the explosion or in the following months as a result of radiation or severe burns.
Since then, more than 2,000 nuclear weapons have been detonated to test and demonstrate their capabilities. In addition to their use as weapons, nuclear explosives have also been tested and used for various non-military purposes: mining or canal construction. According to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force in 1970 and was signed by 189 members, five states possess nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China. Meanwhile, India, Pakistan, and North Korea have conducted several nuclear tests.
Although Israel does not officially recognize this status, it is believed to possess between 75 and 400 nuclear warheads.