Hiroshima :: essays research papers

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, southwestern Honshu, Japan. Hiroshima has warm, humid summers with July temperatures. Hiroshima caught the attention of the world when a U.S. plane dropped the first atomic bomb on the City, destroying it on August 6,1945. The Atomic bomb blast in 1945 obliterated three- fifths of the city within seconds and killed about 75,000 people. At exactly fifteen minutes past eight in the mourning, on August 6, 1945 Japanese time, at the moment when the atomic bomb flashed above Hiroshima. At the time of the blast Mrs. Huts Nakamura, a tailors widow stood by the window of her kitchen, watching a neighbor tearing down his house because it laid in path of an air-raid defense free lane . Mrs. Huts Nakamura, who lived in the section called Nobori-Cho got her three children, a ten year old boy,Toshio, an eight year old girl yoke, and a five year old girl, Mohawk out of bed and dressed them and walked with them to the Military area known as the East Parade Ground. There she unrolled some mats and the children laid down on them. They slept until about two, when they were awakened by the roar of the planes going over Hiroshima. As soon as the planes had passed, mars. Nakamura started back with her children. They reached home a little after two-thirty and she immediately turned on the radio, which was broadcasting a fresh warnin! g. She put the children in their bedrolls on the floor, laid down herself at three o'clock, and fell asleep at once. The siren jarred her awake at about seven o'clock, she arose and hurried to the house of Mr.Nakamoto, the head of her neighborhood Association and asked him what she should do. He told her to remain at home unless an urgent warning. The Prefectural Government convinced, everyone in Hiroshima that the city would be attacked. Their house was 1,350 yards or three-quarters of a mile, from the center of the explosion. Timbers fell around her as she landed and a shower of tiles also fell on her; everything became dark and she became buried. She heard a child cry "Mother,help me!" and she saw her youngest child, Mohawk the five year old buried up to her chest and unable to move. As Mrs. Nakamura started Frantically to claw her way toward the baby, she couldn't see or hear anything of her other children.