Nagasaki was the target of the second atomic bomb used in warfare in August 1945.
The United States dropped the plutonium implosion bomb known as Fat Man on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The B-29 Bockscar carried the weapon, which detonated over the city’s Urakami Valley shortly after 11 a.m. local time.
Nagasaki was selected after the primary target, Kokura, was obscured by cloud and smoke. The attack followed the bombing of Hiroshima three days earlier and the Soviet Union’s declaration of war against Japan. Japan announced its acceptance of Allied surrender terms several days later.
Kyoto was removed from earlier target lists, while Yokohama was considered as a possible target but was not bombed with an atomic weapon. These distinctions help explain why Nagasaki, rather than the other cities, is identified as the second target.