Hiroshima was hit by the first atomic bomb used in warfare on August 6, 1945.
The United States Army Air Forces dropped the uranium gun-type bomb known as Little Boy from the B-29 bomber Enola Gay. The explosion occurred at approximately 8:15 a.m. local time over Hiroshima, a major Japanese military and industrial city.
The bombing caused catastrophic destruction and loss of life. Many people died immediately, while others died later from burns, injuries, radiation exposure, and illness. The city’s built environment was devastated across a wide area, although some reinforced structures survived near the blast center.
The Hiroshima bombing did not immediately produce a public Japanese surrender. Japan’s leaders continued debating the war, while the Soviet Union entered the conflict against Japan on August 8. The United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki on August 9. Emperor Hirohito then supported accepting the Potsdam Declaration, and his surrender broadcast was heard on August 15.