he nuclear blast upon the impact of an atomic bomb is perceived as the most devastating part, but it is not. The radioactive fallout that follows is what is worst and that is because many people do not realize or at least not in a time when they are hit by radiation until it’s too late. There have been many photos of victims of the nuclear fallout in Japan during world war II, but very rarely has the world seen video footage of victims from the war that survived the nuclear blast. Those who were lucky enough still suffered major burns from the powerful radiation which left them mentally, as well as physically scared for life.
Despite its name, Little Boy, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, was the most devastating compared to its brother, Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki a few days after. According to the Bradbury Science Museum, Little Boy spread its radiation 5 kilometers from the blast zone. Those who were in the one-kilometer zone all died, leaving the rest who absorbed the residual radiation with terrible injuries.
Little Boy
■ This gun-type uranium bomb, nicknamed Little Boy,
weighed 9,700 pounds.
■ The bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan,
August 6, 1945, at 8:15 AM.
■ A B-29 dropped the bomb from 31,000 feet. The bomb exploded
about 1,500 feet above the city with a force of 15,000 tons of TNT.
■ The name of the plane was Enola Gay, named after the pilot’s mother.
■ The pilot, attached to the 509th, was Col. Paul Tibbets. The copilot
was Capt. Robert Lewis.
■ The bomb destroyed 5 square miles of the city and caused about 140,000
deaths by the end of 1945.
The burns from radiation are so severe that they melt the skin between the fingers, making the fingers or in worst cases even the limbs of people stuck, not being able to move them. The authorities from Hiroshima recorded footage of victims who were lucky enough to receive first aid against radiation, however, they still paid a huge price due to their scars.
As this was the first time in human history that atomic weapons had been used, the footage was meant to record in order to hopefully make future use of such weapons prohibited, but they were never released to the public. Here is the original video which had been colorized for a better perspective.
The viewer’s discretion is advised!
Although the video does not present the worst cases, it still shows how devastating nuclear warfare can be. It is imperative to mention that most people were not aware of radiation or the existence of possible radiation.
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