Fat Man

On August 9 1945 the second atomic bomb was dropped by the United States on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.  Even though the bomb was off target by a couple of miles, most of the city was destroyed in a flash of nuclear explosion.

Whether this act was necessary is still debated.  It is likely the case that the allies would have had to invade the home islands of Japan, causing perhaps millions of casualties for soldiers and civilians.  Yet, some argue that a demonstration over water would have driven the point home and motivated the emperor to sue for peace.  We will never know.

The war was notable for bombing of civilians, in Japan and Europe.  London was bombed by German planes, and German cities were reduced to rubble.  Dresden's bombing and the firebombing of Hamburg are the hardest to rationalize.  In a time of total war, civilized people committed horrors that our fathers witnessed.

As we consider nuclear weapons issues today, let's make sure that people realize the grave consequences for our planet if even a brief exchange between nations occurs.

Nuclear powers - US, Russia, Britain, France, China, Pakistan, India, North Korea, and probably Israel.