Hiroshima was the target of the first atomic bombing in August 1945 before Japan’s surrender.
The United States dropped the uranium bomb Little Boy on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. The attack destroyed large parts of the city and caused enormous loss of life from the blast, heat, fires, and radiation. Hiroshima had military facilities, transportation links, and industrial activity, but civilians made up much of the population exposed to the attack.
The bombing shocked Japan’s leadership, although it did not immediately produce agreement to surrender. Some officials questioned whether Hiroshima’s destruction had truly been caused by a nuclear weapon, while others continued to demand conditions beyond those offered by the Allies.
Nagasaki was bombed three days later, on 9 August. The Soviet Union also declared war on Japan that day and invaded Japanese-held Manchuria. Japan announced surrender on 15 August, and the formal surrender document was signed on 2 September.