Hiroshima Day is observed every August 6 th . In 1945, the American bomber Enola Gay detonated an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . Little Boy was the name of the bomb, which had a blasting force of 12–15,000 tons of TNT. It destroyed four square kilometers of the city, leaving about 80,000 people dead and 35,000 injured.
Another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, three days later. As a result, on August 15, Emperor of Japan Hirohito declared Japan’s complete and utter surrender in World War II over the radio. He did this by describing the destructive force of a brand-new, cruelest bomb.
The Galway Alliance War in Eyre Square hosts a yearly celebration to commemorate the day on which the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Every year, several events are conducted to support peace politics via music, dancing, and singing.
History
The “Little Boy” nuclear weapon was used to destroy Hiroshima, Japan. What is the background to it? Approximately 500 miles away from Tokyo, in an industrial hub with roughly 350,000 people, was the first target chosen by American forces for a bombing attack. A modified B-29 bomber called the “Enola Gay” was loaded with a 9000 pound Uranium-235 bomb after flying to the American base on the Pacific island of Tinian.
At 8:15 am Japanese time, an aircraft dropped the “Little Boy” bomb, which detonated around 2000 feet above Hiroshima in an explosion equivalent to 12–15,000 tons of TNT and leveled four square miles of the city.
Japan did not surrender even when another nuclear bomb was detonated in Nagasaki, which led to the Japanese Emperor’s capitulation. Soon, the Second World War came to an end. Undoubtedly, during that time, two cities were devastated.
Movies and media are called the mirror of society. They often narrate real-life incidences and events to educate the public. There have been several movies on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that follow the historic events in Japan and its aftermath.
1.Fat Man and Little Boy, 1989
This movie recreates the Manhattan Project, a covert wartime endeavor in New Mexico that saw the creation of the first atomic weapons. The movie about the Manhattan Project, a covert Allied effort to create the first nuclear weapons during World War II, was released in The two bombs that were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Little Boy and Fat Man, respectively, are called after in the movie.
2.In the Corner of The World, 2016
In This Corner of the World was an animated film that portrayed the tale of a young woman named Suzu and was set in the 1930s and 1940s. The movie portrayed the events leading up to and following the war, as well as the daily challenges people in Hiroshima faced. Suzu lost her right hand, which she used to pursue her lifetime passion for art, in addition to the individuals who were dearest to her. This animated movie draws a perspective on Hiroshima Day like never before.
3.Rhapsody in August 1991
Based on Kiyoko Murata’s novel Nabe no Naka, the 1991 Japanese movie. An elderly hibakusha who lost her husband in the 1945 bombing of Nagasaki is the main character of the novel. The widow, who is preoccupied with caring for her four grandchildren, hears that Suzujiro, a long-lost brother, lives in Hawaii and requests a visit from her before he passes away.
However, Kurosawa stated that he wanted his movie to convey the idea that “war was between governments, not people” at the Tokyo Film Festival. The bombing of Nagasaki resulted in the loss of numerous innocent people, and its effects will be felt throughout history. These movies on Hiroshima and Nagasaki bring different perspectives on the historic event.
4.Barefoot Gen, 1983
Keiji Makazawa, a survivor of the atomic bombardment of Hiroshima, wrote Barefoot Gen. Makazawa lost the majority of his family either during the bombing or shortly after, and he later drew on these events in his artwork. Nakazawa was substituted for Gen Nakaoka, the main character of Barefoot Gen.
Although Gen was just a little child, he too had to see the atrocities of the atomic bomb. He had to see his friends and family members burn to death, among other horrors. One of the most unsettling animated movies ever created, the movie was not a horror movie and focused on a little child. Hiroshima Day is to respect the day of this event.
5.The Day After Trinity, 1981
The movie on Hiroshima and Nagasaki follows J. Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist, who brought his love of poetry, philosophy, and Eastern religion to his position in the Manhattan Project. In the years that followed Trinity, the secret first test of an atomic bomb prototype, Oppenheimer showed himself to be a thoughtful man who felt both a duty to his country and a deep regret for the death and destruction caused by his leadership in the development of the weapon that signaled the beginning of the Atomic Age.
It is a documentary that tells the story of the Manhattan Project which led to the events of Hiroshima Day. These movies on Hiroshima and Nagasaki educate people with real facts and stories.
As we remember the huge portion of innocents who lost their lives on Hiroshima Day, it is also important for us as citizens of today to recognize the consequences of events like World War II. The day serves as a reminder of the horrific consequences of nuclear war, which have occurred throughout history. The bombing’s aftereffects included radiation poisoning, such as atomic bomb illness, which raised cancer risks and caused birth deformities, severe mental retardation, etc.