On July 26, 1945, President Harry Truman called for Japan's unconditional surrender. When Japan rejected this ultimatum, the U.S. President authorized the dropping of two atomic bombs on the Japanese. The first fell on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The second was dropped on Nagasaki three days later. Japan's Emperor Hirohito surrendered via a radio address on August 15, 1945, referencing the "new and most cruel bomb."
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In 1949, Dr. James N. Yamazaki was the lead physician sent to Nagasaki by the U.S. Atomic Bomb Medical Team to survey the destruction caused by the atomic bomb. "Dr. Yamazaki, today in his 90s, continues to monitor ?the children of the atomic bomb' and to write and to speak out on behalf of a humankind facing nuclear destruction." This powerful website includes high-school lesson plans about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Nuclear Disarmament movement.
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Funded by a National Science Foundation grant, Hiroshima & Nagasaki Remembered was "created for students, educators, and the general public to provide an easy to use collection of resources to better understand that milestone of human history." The stories of both bombings are told individually, and the site also includes a photo gallery, selected bios, maps, a library of primary documents, list of additional online resources, and a bibliography of books.
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This is the English language kids' section of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum website. It starts with the animated story of a boy visiting the Children's Peace Monument who learns about Sadako Sasaki , a twelve-year old girl with leukemia caused by the bombing of Hiroshima when she was two-years old. In her quest to live, Sadako folded a thousand origami cranes, inspired by a Japanese legend about the sacred crane bringing luck to the sick. The grownup section of the museum site is also excellent, and you'll find a link to it at the bottom of the left-hand navigation column.
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These twelve photos taken in September, 1945 show the complete destruction the A-bombs caused in Hirsohima and Nagasaki. In addition to the shocking images, this collection also includes a typewritten note written by LIFE's picture editor, Wilson Hicks. "There is no way of comparing Atom Bomb damage with anything we've ever seen before. Whereas H. Bombs leave gutted buildings and framework standing, the Atom Bomb leaves nothing."
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This collection from the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum, for high-school students and adults, includes primary documents that explore President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bombs on two Japanese cities. "It includes documents totaling almost 600 pages, covering the years 1945-1964. Supporting materials include an online version of ?Truman and the Bomb: A Documentary History,' edited by Robert H. Ferrell."
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By Barbara J. Feldman. Originally written on Jul 31, 2012. Last Modified on Aug 24, 2012.
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Buy Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Printable for $2.00 or try a FREE trial of the Printables Club
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Honorable Mentions
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
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