Hiroshima was the first city targeted by an atomic bomb in the events preceding Japan’s surrender.
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the uranium gun-type bomb Little Boy on Hiroshima. The B-29 Enola Gay carried out the mission, and the explosion devastated much of the city. Hiroshima was a major military and industrial center, but large numbers of civilians also lived there.
Nagasaki was struck three days later, on August 9, by the plutonium implosion bomb Fat Man. The two bombings occurred alongside the Soviet Union’s entry into the war against Japan and intensified the Japanese leadership’s surrender crisis.
The bombings remain subjects of historical and ethical debate. For trivia purposes, the key chronological distinction is that Hiroshima was first, while Nagasaki was second. Japan announced acceptance of the Allied terms on August 15.