U.S. President Harry S. Truman, discouraged by the Japanese response to the Potsdam Conference's demand for unconditional surrender, made the decision to use the atom bomb to end the war in order to prevent what he predicted would be a much greater loss of life were the USA to invade the Japanese mainland
On this day in 1945, at 8:16 a.m. Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, drops the world's first atom bomb, over the city of Hiroshima
"Little Boy," (the nickname for one of two atom bombs available for use against Japan), was loaded onto Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets' plane on Tinian Island in the Marianas. Tibbets' B-29, named the Enola Gay after his mother, left the island at 2:45 a.m. on August 6. Five and a half hours later, "Little Boy" was dropped, exploding 1,900 feet over a hospital and unleashing the equivalent of 12,500 tons of TNT. The bomb had several inscriptions scribbled on its shell, one of which read "Greetings to the Emperor from the men of the Indianapolis" (the ship that transported the bomb to the Marianas)
There were 90,000 buildings in Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped; only 28,000 remained after the bombing
Japan marks 68th anniversary of Hiroshima bombing
Some 50,000 people stood for a minute of silence in Hiroshima’s peace park near the epicenter of the early morning blast on Aug. 6, 1945, that killed up to 140,000 people
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers his speech at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park during the ceremony to mark the 68th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
Hiroshima marks the 68th anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing on Tuesday Aug 6,2013
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, among many dignitaries attended the event
Peoples Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) supporters during the 68th Hiroshima Anniversary Homage - Rally at idinthakarai in Kudankulam,Tamil Nadu,India
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