Hiroshima was the first city targeted by an atomic bomb before Japan's surrender in 1945.
The United States dropped the uranium bomb known as Little Boy on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The weapon was carried by the B-29 bomber Enola Gay, commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbets. The explosion devastated much of the city and caused enormous civilian casualties, both immediately and in the years that followed from injuries and radiation exposure.
A second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9. That same day, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and launched an offensive against Japanese forces in Manchuria. These events intensified the crisis facing Japan's leaders and preceded Hirohito's decision to accept the Potsdam Declaration.
The bombings remain central to historical discussions of Japan's surrender, but they were not the only factor. The Soviet entry into the war, Japan's military situation, and internal political deadlock also shaped the final decision. Hiroshima was first; Nagasaki was the second atomic-bomb target.