What was life like in the US after the atomic bomb had been dropped?

Answer 1

There was an initial sense of euphoria and invincibility. And then the question sank home, what if someone else cracks the atomic weapons secrets. Fear and a need for self defense against such a scenario was immediate.

Answer 2

The USA had several consequences to be concerned about. The impact on international relations. With such distruction seen from the international worldviewpoint, and the fears that would result in the international arena as to the prospects of the USA turning atomic weaponry towards them. In addition the effects of the aftermat of the atomic bomb explosion and the radiation that followedwere not totally known, leaving the question unanswered as to the effect this could have on not only Japan but North America if a "radiation cloud"would cross the Pacific. Public outcry from the international community not aligned to the USA and it's allies; such as China and USSR; and the subsequent weapons race that would follow in the fear ofan imminentattack on their frontiers.

Answer 3

After the first, it was like we shot Japan. They were horrified and absolutely stunned. Once the second one was dropped, they staggered massively. We had threatened to drop a third (which ironically we didn't have) and they surrendered.

Answer 4

JAPAN ACCEPTED AMERICAN TERMS FOR SURRENDER

On the ground moments before the blast it was a calm and sunny Monday morning. An air raid alert from earlier that morning had been called off after only a solitary aircraft was seen (the weather plane), and by 8:15 the city was alive with activity -- soldiers doing their morning calisthenics, commuters on foot or on bicycles, groups of women and children working outside to clear firebreaks. Those closest to the explosion died instantly, their bodies turned to black char. Nearby birds burst into flames in mid-air, and dry, combustible materials such as paper instantly ignited as far away as 6,400 feet from ground zero. The white light acted as a giant flashbulb, burning the dark patterns of clothing onto skin (right) and the shadows of bodies onto walls. Survivors outdoors close to the blast generally describe a literally blinding light combined with a sudden and overwhelming wave of heat. (The effects of radiation are usually not immediately apparent.) The blast wave followed almost instantly for those close-in, often knocking them from their feet. Those that were indoors were usually spared the flash burns, but flying glass from broken windows filled most rooms, and all but the very strongest structures collapsed. One boy was blown through the windows of his house and across the street as the house collapsed behind him. Within minutes 9 out of 10 people half a mile or less from ground zero were dead.

No one will ever know for certain how many died as a result of the attack on Hiroshima. Some 70,000 people probably died as a result of initial blast, heat, and radiation effects. This included about twenty American airmen being held as prisoners in the city. By the end of 1945, because of the lingering effects of radioactive fallout and other after effects, the Hiroshima death toll was probably over 100,000. The five-year death total may have reached or even exceeded 200,000, as cancer and other long-term effects took hold.

At 11:00 a.m., August 6 (Washington D.C. time), radio stations began playing a prepared statement from President Truman (right) informing the American public that the United States had dropped an entirely new type of bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima -- an "atomic bomb." Truman warned that if Japan still refused to surrender unconditionally, as demanded by the Potsdam Declaration of July 26, the United States would attack additional targets with equally devastating results. Two days later, on August 8, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and attacked Japanese forces in Manchuria, ending American hopes that the war would end before Russian entry into the Pacific theater. By August 9th, American aircraft were showering leaflets all over Japan informing its people that "We are in possession of the most destructive explosive ever devised by man. A single one of our newly developed atomic bombs is actually the equivalent in explosive power to what 2,000 of our giant B-29s can carry on a single mission. This awful fact is one for you to ponder and we solemnly assure you it is grimly accurate. We have just begun to to use this weapon against your homeland. If you still have any doubt, make inquiry as to what happened to Hiroshima when just one atomic bomb fell on that city." Meanwhile, Tibbets's bomber group was simply waiting for the weather to clear in order to drop its next bomb, the plutonium weapon nicknamed "Fat Man" (right) that was destined for the city of Nagasaki.
because they felt like it

Answer 5

Less populated

Pretty cynical answer. Nagasaki was almost completely destroyed, with very heavy casualties. The city also remained severely radioactive for years.

Not cynical at all. Japan had been repeatedly asked to surrender and even after Hiroshima had been destroyed the government refused to consider capitulation.

The Imperial Japanese Government killed those people and destroyed Nagasaki, not the bomb.

Answer 6

The purpose was to end the war soon and collapse Japan's means to make war ever again. In that sense, those bombs brought the needed culmination but with a heavy price.

Answer 7

Two Japanese cities were destroyed and many thousands of lives were lost.

Answer 8

Japan surrendered and the war was ended