Hiroshima atomic bomb: Survivor recalls horrors - BBC News
Summary
TLDROn August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima from 29,000 ft, causing immense devastation. Survivors like 8-year-old K Ura witnessed the horrific aftermath, with thousands suffering from burns and radiation. Initially, media reports focused on physical damage, ignoring the human toll. Decades later, color footage of victims was declassified. The bomb's impact, killing 100,000 to 150,000 people, is debated as a necessary evil to end WWII. Students from Princeton University recently met a Hiroshima survivor, grappling with the reality of the tragedy and questioning the conventional narrative. The lack of visits by US presidents to Hiroshima or Nagasaki highlights the ongoing struggle to confront this dark chapter of history.
Takeaways
- 💥 The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima from 29,000 ft resulted in a devastating explosion that resembled a 'giant candy floss', but led to the suffering and death of tens of thousands of people.
- 👀 Survivors like 8-year-old K Ura witnessed the horrific aftermath firsthand, including people with severe burns and skin peeling off.
- 📰 Initial news reports focused on the physical damage to the city, with little mention of the human toll from burns and radiation.
- 🚫 Classified footage of victims taken in 1946 was only declassified in the 1980s, revealing the extent of the suffering to a wider audience.
- 🗽 When K Ura visited the United States, she found that many Americans were unaware of the horrors she had witnessed, with some even expressing gratitude for the bombing.
- 🕍 The destruction of Hiroshima is often viewed as a necessary evil to end World War II, but the script suggests it's time to reconsider this view.
- 🎓 Princeton University students were deeply affected by meeting a Hiroshima survivor and learning about the horrors they witnessed.
- 📚 The students' education had presented a sanitized narrative of the bombing, omitting the human suffering and ongoing trauma.
- 🌏 The script highlights the need for a broader understanding and acknowledgment of the suffering caused by the bombing, particularly in America.
- 🕊️ No sitting US president has visited Hiroshima or Nagasaki, reflecting a lack of直面 the full impact of the bombings.
- 🌀 The script also touches on Japan's own difficulties in confronting its World War II history, suggesting a broader need for historical reflection and reconciliation.
Q & A
What was the target of the first atomic bomb dropped on August 6th, 1945?
-The target was Hiroshima, Japan.
From what altitude was the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima?
-The bomb was dropped from 29,000 feet.
What was the description of the atomic bomb explosion from a distance?
-The explosion looked like a giant candy floss from a distance.
What was the immediate aftermath described by the eyewitness, K Ura?
-Survivors gathered outside her house with burned and swollen faces, begging for water, and their skin was peeling off.
What was the initial reaction of the people K Ura saw after the explosion?
-They were holding what she initially thought were rags, but were actually their own skin peeling off.
How did the US news reports at the time describe the event?
-The reports described only the physical damage to the city, with no mention of the thousands dying from burns and radiation.
What was the reaction of Americans when K Ura visited the United States?
-She was told by American citizens that she should be thankful for the bombing because it saved her life.
How many people were estimated to have been killed by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima?
-Between 100,000 and 150,000 people were killed.
What is the conventional wisdom outside Japan regarding the bombing of Hiroshima?
-The destruction of the city is seen as a necessary evil that brought an abrupt end to World War II.
What did the students from Princeton University learn from meeting a Hiroshima survivor?
-They learned that the narrative they were taught was incomplete and that the horrors of the bombing were still being relived by the survivors and the city.
Why is it significant that no sitting US president has visited Hiroshima or Nagasaki?
-It signifies the difficulty in confronting the historical reality and the impact of the bombings, as well as the ongoing debate about the necessity and morality of using atomic bombs.
Outlines
💥 Hiroshima's Atomic Bombing and Its Aftermath
On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima from an altitude of 29,000 feet, causing massive destruction and human suffering. The explosion was visually described as resembling a giant candy floss, but the reality was far from sweet. Tens of thousands of people were burned alive, with survivors gathering outside with burned and swollen faces, begging for water as their skin peeled off. The initial news reports focused on the physical damage to the city, with little mention of the human toll. The footage of the victims was classified until the 1980s. The narrative outside Japan often presents the bombing as a necessary evil to end World War II, but this perspective is being challenged, especially as more people learn about the horrors firsthand. The script also mentions the lack of visits by sitting US presidents to Hiroshima or Nagasaki, indicating a continued discomfort with confronting this aspect of history.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Atomic bomb
💡Hiroshima
💡Survivor
💡Radiation
💡Nagasaki
💡Burns
💡War
💡American perspective
💡Horror
💡Necessary evil
💡Rethink
Highlights
The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima from 29,000 ft, causing a massive explosion that looked like a giant candy floss but resulted in the suffering of tens of thousands of real people.
8-year-old K Ura witnessed the aftermath of the bomb, with survivors gathering outside her house, their faces burned and swollen, begging for water, and their skin peeling off.
Initial reactions to the survivors included shock and disbelief as their skin was hanging and peeling off, mistaken for rags.
News reports at the time focused on the physical damage to the city, with no mention of the thousands dying from burns and radiation.
Color footage of the victims taken in 1946 was classified until the 1980s, revealing the true extent of the suffering.
Koo's experience in the United States showed that many Americans were unaware of the horrors she had witnessed, with some even congratulating her for being able to come to the US due to the bombing.
The narrative that the atomic bomb was a necessary evil to end the war is questioned, prompting a call for a reevaluation of this conclusion.
A group of Princeton University students meet a Hiroshima survivor for the first time, confronting the reality of the horrors she witnessed.
Students grapple with the realization that the narrative of a scientific instrument ending the war omits the human suffering and ongoing trauma.
The emotional impact of the museum's exhibits, showing models of people with skin dripping off, is profound for the students.
The lack of visits by sitting US presidents to Hiroshima or Nagasaki is noted, highlighting the ongoing disconnect between the US and the reality of the bombings.
The broader context of World War II is acknowledged, with the recognition that horror was committed by all sides, including Japan, and that many countries struggle with confronting their own histories.
The report by BBC News in Hiroshima emphasizes the ongoing struggle and the need for a deeper understanding of the bombings' impact.
Transcripts
of August 6th Japanese time the first
atomic bomb hit an enemy
Target from 29,000 ft the Hiroshima
explosion looked like a giant candy
floss but down below there were real
people tens of thousands of them Burning
Alive what happened to you when the when
the bomb exploded I was surrounded by
8-year-old K Ura saw them with her own
eyes Horrors she can never forget
outside her house the survivors began to
gather their faces burned and swollen
They begged for water their skin was
peeling off and the hanging and at first
I saw some and I thought and they were
and holding something or the rag or
something but that was really skin
here's a building that was actually
knocked sidewise us news reports at the
time described only the physical damage
to the city no mention was made of the
thousands dying from Burns and radiation
this color footage of victims taken in
1946 was classified until the
1980s when later she went to the United
States Koo found Americans knew little
of the horrors that she had witnessed I
was told by American citizen
congratulation you could come here
thanks to the bombing they said without
bombing you have to do have a kid you
know kill yourself it is very awful
excuse because of that you save your
life and then we drop the bomb we should
not use Excuse such kind of
excuse when that cigar-shaped bomb
exploded 500 M up above this spot it
killed between 100 and
150,000 people the conventional wisdom
outside Japan is that the destruction of
this city was was a necessary evil that
brought an Abrupt end to the war but is
it now time for the outside world and
particularly America to rethink that
conclusion but this is so close to the
today this group of students from
Princeton University is for the first
time coming face to face with the
Hiroshima Survivor and the horrors she
witnessed we're taught this narrative
that you know this great scientific
instrument was dropped on Hiroshima
there was a Flash and the war ended but
it's just been so surreal
and I think in a lot of ways tragic to
see that that nightmare is being relived
by by people kind of every day and by
the city every single day um so that
really really moved me and I'm still
grappling still grappling with that
today I I was really taken a back
especially you know just the very first
image in the museum is um the model of
the people whose you know skin is
dripping off and I've never seen
anything like that and for me it was it
was really hard to see honestly um you
know being an American and knowing that
this is something that
happened no sitting US president has
ever visited heroshima or Nagasaki and
President Obama will not be here on
Thursday in World War II so much horror
was committed by all sides not least
Japan but it's not the only country that
has trouble facing it Own World War II
history rert Wingfield Hayes BBC News in
Hiroshima
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