Hiroshima
It was unusually hot in Hiroshima on this late summer morning in 1945. ... It would only be a short 43 seconds later that the citizens of Hiroshima would get to have their present - the four ton present. ... Hiroshima was the first city ever to be devastated by an atomic bomb. ... Over 80 bridges link the separate parts of the city, and railroads and highways connect Hiroshima with other cities on Honshu, Japans main island. ... The underlying cause of the decision to go ahead with the bombing of Hiroshima could probably be dated back to December 7, 1941. ... The Japanese had convinced themselves that the United States would never bomb their beautiful cities, especially Hiroshima, since that is where the Presidents aunt was living. ... Hiroshima was one of them. ... At 7:25 am, Tibbets (pilot of the Enola Gay) received a coded message from the weather planes that the cloud cover over their selected target, Hiroshima, was minimal. ... A few miles east of Hiroshima, the crew strapped on their safety goggles and activated the automatic release system. ... At exactly 8:16:02 am, Hiroshima time, the bomb exploded over the city. ... " About forty minutes after the blast, a cold rain began to fall over the streets of Hiroshima. ... To further encourage Japan to surrender, US bombers dropped photos all over Tokyo of the mushroom shaped atomic cloud over Hiroshima with a note attached that basically said that the United States was in possession of the most destructive explosive ever devised to man. And if there was any doubt, they were to make an inquiry to find out what happened to Hiroshima when just one bomb fell on the city. ... Peace now reigns in the Pacific, and Hiroshima has been rebuilt from the ground up to once again become an industrial power in Japan; however, the devastation the US delivered will never be forgotten.