Hiroshima was destroyed by the first atomic bomb used in warfare before Japan surrendered in 1945. The United States dropped the uranium bomb Little Boy on the city on August 6, 1945.
The B-29 Enola Gay released the bomb at 8:15 a.m. local time. Little Boy detonated above the city, producing a massive blast, intense heat, and widespread fires. Hiroshima had been selected partly because it was an important military and communications center and had not previously suffered major conventional bombing.
The attack introduced nuclear weapons into warfare and caused catastrophic civilian casualties. Radiation sickness and other effects continued to kill and injure survivors after the initial explosion.
Japan’s government did not immediately surrender after Hiroshima. The Soviet declaration of war and the bombing of Nagasaki followed on August 8 and 9, and the emperor’s surrender broadcast came on August 15.