In the 1945 atomic bombings linked to Japan’s surrender, how many days separated the U.S. attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

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Three days separated the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

The first attack occurred on August 6, when the uranium bomb Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima. On August 9, the plutonium bomb Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki, making the interval three calendar days.

The attacks occurred during the final days of World War II in the Pacific. The Soviet Union also declared war on Japan on August 8 and invaded Japanese-held Manchuria. Japan announced its acceptance of surrender terms on August 15, although the formal surrender document was signed on September 2 aboard USS Missouri.

A common mix-up is confusing the bombing dates with Japan’s surrender dates. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks were on August 6 and 9; the emperor’s surrender announcement came later, on August 15.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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