The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
The United States Army Air Forces used the B-29 bomber Enola Gay to drop the uranium bomb Little Boy over Hiroshima. The explosion caused enormous destruction and loss of life, with many victims dying immediately and others later from injuries and radiation effects.
Hiroshima was a major military and industrial center, but the bombing also devastated civilian neighborhoods. Japan’s government did not immediately announce surrender after the attack. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 8, and the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki on August 9.
Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s acceptance of the Allied surrender terms on August 15. Historians continue to debate the relative importance of the atomic bombings, the Soviet entry into the war, Japan’s military situation, and internal political divisions in producing the final decision.