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Atomic Bombs
Atomic bomb is an explosive device in which a large amount of energy is released through nuclear reactions. This makes an atomic bomb, more properly called a nuclear weapon, a much more powerful device than any conventional bomb containing chemical explosives. The first Atomic Bombs were used during World War 2 in 1945 by the US onto 2 Japanese cities.
2,042 Questions
Was the dropping of the atomic bomb a good idea?
The United States did not go to war over the atomic bomb. We used it to end a war. During WWII there was a race to build the bomb, originally it was going to be used on Germany but Germany fell. Japan however continued to fight on with tenacity Japan showed no signs of wanting to surrender they were conducting many suicide attacks, even to the point of training its civilian citizens to attack invading Americans with sharpened sticks. If America had invaded the main island of japan as was planed the loss of human life (both American and Japanese) would have been astronomical so it was decided to drop the atomic bomb on Japan to let them know we had weapons of mass destruction and we would use them. After the second bomb was dropped Japan surrendered. Although the bombs were dropped on cities and many civilians were killed many many more would have been killed had the United States conducted a conventional invasion. There is also a twist to the this in the Japanese also had an atomic weapons program. Historians dispute the readiness of the Japanese bomb and certainly the German plutonium sent to them was surrendered by the U boat carrying it to the Americans before it reached them. However there is evidence they did have some uranium and credible plans for a bomb. At best case they were a year away at worst case the US beat them to the draw by 11 days, targets included the US Pacific fleet or the West coast cities.
Us drops atomic bomb on japan?
- August 6, 1945: Hiroshima, MK-I Uranium gun bomb, 9,000 pounds 15Kton yield.
- August 9, 1945: Nagasaki, MK-III Plutonium implosion bomb, 10,000 pounds 22Kton yield.
- August 14, 1945: Japan surrenders.
The production schedule for additional bombs in 1945 was:
- September 1945: 3 MK-III Plutonium implosion bombs.
- October 1945: 3 MK-III Plutonium implosion bombs.
- November 1945: 7 MK-III Mod 1 Plutonium/Uranium composite core implosion bombs.
- December 1945: 7 MK-III Mod 1 Plutonium/Uranium composite core implosion bombs.
If Japan had not surrendered when it did, the US had the ability to have dropped up to 23 atomic bombs on Japan in 1945! The MK-IV (an easier to assemble, maintain, arm/disarm design) would probably have gone into production in early 1946.
While I have no precise data on the yield of the MK-III Mod 1, I assume it was probably expected to be higher than the MK-III. Probably between 30Kton and 40Kton. However it was not designed to improve yield, it was designed to balance Plutonium and Uranium production capacity (Uranium was easier to enrich to weapons grade than Plutonium was to produce in reactors).
See: Swords of Armageddon by Chuck Hansen.
Note: unforeseen events would likely have prevented meeting the full schedule of 23 bomb. One of these (wigner effect) happened in October and forced the shutdown of at least one of the three Plutonium production reactors and reduction in operating power of the others to limit the damage. However had the war still been going on then it might have been decided to sacrifice the reactors to keep production up as long as possible. Perhaps the MK-III core might even have been redesigned to be just Uranium should all three Plutonium production reactors completely fail.
Was the atomic bomb used in a battle?
Hiroshima and Nagaski in Japan have been the only 2 bombs used against people. During World War II in August of 1945. The cities were known for military activity but also contained hundreds of thousands of civilians. Loses were great from the blast themselves, but many more died as a result of radiation poisoning.
I cannot tell you this, the details are classified. You would need a Q clearance and appropriate need to know to get access to this.
However, that said general information on this is in publicly available literature. A few books you might be interested in are: Robert Del Tredici's At Work in the Fields of the Bomb, Len Ackland's Making a Real Killing: Rocky Flats and the Nuclear West, Frank Barnaby's How to Build a Nuclear Bomb. I would also suggest taking a tour of the Hanford Washington B Reactor, which manufactured plutonium for the Gadget and Fatman bombs and many post WW2 atomic bombs.
Another option if you still want greater detail would be to make FOIA requests, however expect long delays, rejections which you will need to appeal, and highly redacted documents in any you succeed in obtaining.
How many people were killed by the two atomic bombs?
Roughly 100,000 each.
But you have to remember that about this same amount was dieing in each "1000 plane" firebombing attack, several of whichwere conducted every night during this same period of time.
When did the US get the idea of the atomic bomb?
Britain started work on an atomic bomb before the Manhattan Project got underway. All research was transferred to the US, due to that country's industrial capacity (and remoteness from Axis bombers) so essentially Britain "had the bomb" at the same time the US did. The first purely British bomb wasn't exploded until 1952, however.
Why did America drop the atomic bomb?
On August 6, 1945, President Harry Truman ordered the drop of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The purpose of this action was to bring a rapid end to World War II.
Why were the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WW11?
The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, and the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945. President Truman was advised that if the U.S. launched a full-scale invasion of mainland Japan, the the U.S. would suffer as many as a million casualties. In order to bring the war to a quick ending and incur as few casualties as possible, Truman ordered the atomic bombing of Japan.
What was Truman's argument for dropping the atomic bomb?
Because Japan did not surrender with the first bomb.
On what date was an atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of hiroshima?
The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. It was delivered by the Enola Gay, a US B-29 "Superfortress" bomber manufactured by Boeing that was named after the pilot's mother.
Survivors of the attack noted that the bombing was particularly devastating because few residents of the city sought shelter. When only one plane was seen overhead, it was assumed that it was on a reconnaissance mission, not an attack.
What would be the consequence today if the US had not invented the Atomic Bomb?
Then the U.S. would have eventually invaded the Japanese mainland. As the Japanese were not going to surrender, there would have been millions of Japanese killed. U.S. deaths would also have been in the thousands, maybe as high as a million. Japan would have been defeated but at a very high cost in human life and more than likely the total destruction of all major Japanese cities.
AnswerBut they were and it was classified as "over-kill." Many people believe that there could have been other means to have changed the war than dropped the bombs and causing such devastation. It's amazing that the Japanese people can forgive. They still live with the after effects of the war."Many People Believe" in little green men from Mars, that Elvis is alive, and bust-enhancing creams actually work. That doesn't mean it's true.
AnswerI would just like to add something...someone said "it is amazing that the Japanese can forgive". I am wondering if you know that the Japanese executed more people with samurai swords than were killed in both atomic bombs (32 million Chinese were killed in WW2). Also, had the bombs not been dropped then many, many more Japanese would have been killed to to the emperor's total war method of using every single Japanese citizen as a soldier. One example of this is they were planning on strapping bombs on children and having them jump under the treads of invading tanks to destroy them. AnswerIt should be pointed out that while the Japanese do still live with the after-effects of WWII, they are the after-effects of a war of aggression that Japan itself originated way back in 1931, when they invaded Manchuria. Atomic bomb apologists seldom consider what might have happened if the Japanese (or the Germans) had been first to develop atomic weapons.The Japanese goal was the creation of the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere." Essentially, that meant that all of eastern Asia would be united -- and ruled by the Japanese. Few people realize that the ruling class in Japan at that time considered all non-Asians to be racially inferior, and Japanese esteemed themselves as the highest of all Asians. This racism is at the root of the widespread torture and murder inflicted by the Japanese on all they conquered. (This routine criminal behavior is generally poorly documented, and universally ignored by apologists and revisionists.)
By 1945, Japan was a defeated nation. Its primary offensive weapon, the Imperial Japanese Navy, had practically ceased to exist; what was left of it dared not leave its home ports. Once LeMay's B-29 raids got into full swing that summer, US airmen were killing as many as 120,000 Japanese per raid, using primarily "Willie Pete," white phosphorus-based incendiary bombs. It was when viewing the aftermath of one of these raids on Tokyo that Emperor Hirohito is believed to have taken his decision to become directly involved in seeking an end to the war. Japan's defenses were so feeble that the B-29 crews were removing defensive armament from their planes so they could carry more bombs. The chances of a crew returning from a mission over Japan were around 99%; most of the few losses were due to mechanical failure.
The dire predictions of invasion casualties offered by some of Truman's advisors were probably exaggerated. But hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Japanese citizens would surely have perished had the war been prolonged, even without an invasion. With the US Navy effectively blockading every Japanese port, food shortages were already plaguing the country, and famine was visible on the horizon. No nation, however motivated by religion or creed, can withstand mass starvation. Add in the nightly visits from "B-san," spreading fiery death through the cities, and it's easy to see that Japan truly had no future.
Who were all the people who worked on the atomic bomb?
Robert R. Wilson, Lise Meitner, and Otto R. Frisch
America's Manhattan project was headed by J Robert Openheimer. His principle assistants were Hans Bethe, Victor Weisskopf, Earnest Lawrance and Enrico Fermi.
Enola Gay is the name of the U.S. Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb, "Little Boy," on Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945. It was flown by Colonel Paul Tibbets.
Bockscar is the name of the U. S. Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped the the atomic bomb, "Fat Man," on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The name, which is painted on the aircraft is a pun on "boxcar," after the name of the aircraft's commander, Captain Frederick C. Bock. For this mission, however, it was Major Charles Sweeney who flew Bockscar. Some official and unofficial documents have mistakenly called the plane Bock's Car, Bocks Car and Boxcar over the years.
See Sources and related links for additional information and a photo of Bockscar.
Did the atomic bombs force japan to surrender?
Yes, that was the only justification for dropping the bombs. Japan had been defeated in all of the islands that they had invaded, the island was surrounded by Allied forces and the Japanese were not getting food or fuel from outside sources. In other words, there was absolutely no way they could continue fighting, but the Emperor refused to surrender in hopes of negotiating for better terms. It was estimated (after the war) that almost a million Allied troops would have been killed as well as perhaps that many or even more Japanese citizens. "The bombs" informed the Japanese that there would be no need to endanger Allied forces, and that we demanded an unconditional surrender. Japan was holding out for terms that would have allowed them to rebuild their military and try for dominance of the Pacific again at a later date.
How many above ground atomic bombs were exploded in the world?
According to a study from the University of Wollongong, in Australia: Most likely there are roughly 70,000 nuclear bombs in the world. The exact number is unknown, due to military secrecy. The US has the most (or atleast the most documented)- estimates project that the US has 33,000 and the former USSR has around 16,000. Both nations continue to keep many in storage. Great Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, and Israel among many other nations are known to possess these bombs. Under the Constitution of Japan the country has voluntarily banned itself from ever owning such a destructive weapon.
How did Albert Einstein feel about the atomic bomb?
Nope!!! I may say that he didn't really want to use the formula E=MC (related to atomic bombs and the fusion and fission of the molecules). He advised the President of the US to use the atomic bombs int its proper uses. For short, he was not involved in the making of atomic bombs as well as supporting the dropping of those bombs in Japan...
It was His theory of relativity (E=MC2) that was used in the creation of the atomic bombs. He was greatly against using them in such a horrible way.
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Einstein had no idea that atomic bombs had even really been worked on by the US until he read the newspaper headlines on August 6, 1945 announcing that one had been dropped on Hiroshima! He had spent all of WW2 working on the equations for his Unified Field Theory. He never advised either president Roosevelt or Truman on the use and any weapon, let alone atomic bombs.
What two cities were hit by atomic bombs during world war 2?
On August 6th and 9th 1945, the US dropped 2 atomic bombs onto Japan which caused just over 200,000 people dead and many more scared from life. The 2 cities which the atomic bombs were dropped on were Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
What effect did the atomic bomb have on the economies?
The dropping of the atomic bombs, nicknamed "Little Boy" and "Fat Man," on August 6th and 9th, 1945, on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively, brought about the immediate and unconditional surrender of Japan. Estimates of allied lives that would have been lost in the otherwise inevitable invasion numbered in the millions. The moral implications of President Truman's decision have been, and will continue to be, the subject of intense and passionate debate for generations to come.
it killed many people, plus caused harm to the environment and many of the offspring of survivors have mental disabilities and have been known to get all types of cancers
They were very dangerous the caused a lot of cancers and more, but the U.S.A. soon didn't use them anymore cause the were killing some of there own people.
To end the war sooner, saving American lives
What political and military factors led President Truman to order the atomic bombing on Japan?
An instant war victory, or letting the world see the strength of the U.S. would be the most obvious.
Could an atomic bomb destroy the earth?
Absolutely not 100,000 cant even destroy a continent like europe. to have a bomb destroy the world it would have to weigh at least 500 petatons of tnt which is about 200 million billion tons of tnt, a lot.
An atomic war world wide with thousands of unleashed bombs would do little more to the planet earth than an ant hive does in our world.
A nuciance, but that is probably all it will be.
Life on earth as we know it would probably be at stake though.
Atomic bombs are those with the most dangerous after-effects. Radioactive fallout that will be active for 50-100 years afterwards at least. Long term effects not fully known yet.
How have the use of atomic bombs changed world politics?
Strangely enough, it really has not changed the way that wars are ACTUALLY fought. While there has been a huge amount of preparation for the
use of, and defense against nuclear weapons, none have been used since Nagasaki. Wars are still fought with rifles, machine guns, tanks and cannon.
World War 2 atomic bombing in Japan?
everyone was happy and friendly. puppies barking people laughing everyone was happy until the bomb hit Prior to the atomic bombs there were shortages of almost all consumer goods as very little could be imported as the Allied forces came closer to the home islands. More people were killed and property damaged by months of conventional bombs than by the two atomic attacks.
Why did they name the atomic bombs?
The names Little Boy & Fat Man were military codenames, picked originally so that if they leaked to the enemy might sound like they were designing a custom airplane to carry FDR (Little Boy) & Churchill (Fat Man).
The general codename for Fat Man practice bombs carrying no plutonium was Pumpkin bombs. Several of these were dropped on Japanese cities in late july and early august to keep the crews in practice before the live bombs arrived.
