In 1939, the United States Government, under the Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, organized a top-secret program of six scientists called The Manhattan Project.  Its object was to produce "a practical military weapon in the form of a bomb in which the energy is released by a fast neutron chain reaction in one or more of the materials known to show nuclear fission" (Morton 493).  In other words, The Manhattan Project had been given permission to construct what would turn out to be the most feared weapon in our world's history--the atomic bomb.  No significant amount of information concerning the bomb was released to the public, and according to Admiral William D. Leahy, the bomb was "the best kept secret of the entire war" (Morton 495).  Only a small number of top civilian and military officials in Washington, D.C. had any knowledge of the bomb.  However, on the morning of August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., the Japanese city of Hiroshima was made all too familiar with this new weapon called the atomic bomb, as a United States B-29 flew over the city and released Little Boy.  The sole purpose for dropping the atomic bomb was to force Japan to surrender and bring World War II to a conclusion.  The United States succeeded in that aspect; nevertheless, the repercussions of the detonation of Little Boy are still being witnessed today.  Not only did the dropping of the first atomic bomb result in initial destruction of Hiroshima, it also marked the beginning of the nuclear age.

To understand the importance of the dropping of the first atomic bomb, a little background information explaining the events which led up to August 6, 1945, must first be understood.  In 1939, a small group of scientists informed the United States Government that the Germans were experimenting with atomic energy and looking for possible ways it could be used in the military field.  As a result, The Manhattan Project was formed and it was given orders to develop a bomb capable of causing "an explosion with the force of twenty thousand tons of dynamite" (AAHM Gallery Tour).  Neils Bohr, Joseph Carter, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Richard Feyman, and Enrico Fermi were guided by General Leslie Groves in their quest to construct an atomic bomb.  The irony of the situation is that at first the bomb was not even being created to use against Japan, it was being built in order to keep up with Germany.  One scientist said, "During the early days of the project, we spent little time thinking about the possible effects of the bomb we were trying to make.  We were concerned with winning the neck-and-neck race with the Germans" (Mitchell 325).  However as the war continued and grew more serious, the Germans approached defeat.  The few men who knew that the bomb was being made and appreciated the potential of atomic energy became more and more concerned as the effort to produce the bomb showed promise of success.  "It was almost as if they hoped the bomb would not work after it was completed" (Mitchell 326). 

Nevertheless, the military enthusiasm increased as the completion of the atomic bomb neared.  Unfortunately President Roosevelt passed away, but there to take over was Harry S. Truman.  "When Harry Truman took office on April 12, 1945, he knew little of the Manhattan Project or the atomic bomb" (AAHM Gallery Tour).  Needless to say, he was quickly briefed on the project and its progress.  While attending the Potsdam Conference in Berlin, a meeting that also had representatives from Great Britain and the Soviet Union, President Truman was notified that there had been a successful test of the atomic bomb at the Trinity Test Site.  Truman knew that the atomic bomb would be a perfect way to force Japanese surrender, but things did not turn out as planned.  Japan refused on July 29, 1945, and in retaliation, the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union drafted the Potsdam Declaration, a document telling Japan they must surrender unconditionally or face "prompt and utter destruction" (Maddox 232).  The refusal proved to be the biggest mistake that Japan could have made as President Truman made the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the primary target because it was the only city on the list of possible targets that did not contain American prisoners of war.  On August 6, 1945, the B-29 Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets released Little Boy from an altitude of 31,000 feet, and the rest is history.

Due to the tremendous explosion of the first atomic bomb, Hiroshima was covered by a "mushroom cloud that reminded me more of a boiling pot of tar than any other description I can give it" according to Colonel Paul Tibbets.  When the bomb exploded Tibbets was already eleven and a half miles away; however, the shock wave from the explosion rocked the Enola Gay so hard that he and his crew thought they had been hit by enemy aircraft (Mitchell 375).  On the ground the amount of destruction incurred by the bomb was almost incomprehensible.  Nothing within four square miles was left standing, no buildings, no factories, no schools--nothing.  The people closest to the hypocenter, the location directly below the explosion, were instantly incinerated by the extreme heat that was emitted or were scorched to death by the waves of flames tearing through the streets.  Many other people within a mile and half radius of the initial blast "died shortly afterwards from flash burns and the intense dosage of radiation" (Lifton 13).  Official statistics from a 1994 Department of Energy document show that 70,000 people were immediately killed and another 70,000 people were immediately injured (AAHM Gallery Tours).  On the other hand, the people who survived the explosion and appeared to have escaped uninjured also had been seriously affected.  Within a few days and in some cases, even hours, victims who had been exposed to the explosion began to develop a number of strange symptoms.  At first there were experiences of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever; however, then purple spots started to appear on parts of their bodies.  Not only did blood begin to come from their gums, throat, rectum, and urinary tract, but their hair fell out and their white blood cell count dropped significantly (Lifton 14).  Eventually these hibakusha, explosion-affected people, weakened and died, as they could not fight off the radiation effects of Little Boy.  These vivid details of the effects of the atomic bomb clearly show the terrible destruction that Hiroshima was forced to endure.

The dropping of the first atomic bomb also resulted in the beginning of the nuclear age as it "changed the rules of war forever" (Mitchell 298).  The atomic bomb, a weapon so powerful that it can annihilate the likes of humanity, was simply invented to put an end to World War II.  Yet since it was developed, many people believed that the atomic bomb or any weapon capable of mass destruction would make war unthinkable in the future.  "The world will learn to live in peace due to the fear of nuclear warfare and its repercussions" (Mitchell 300).  However this statement made by Henry Stimson, the Secretary of War, proved to be inaccurate as the nuclear arms race, a race to develop even more powerful weapons, soon got underway.  The United States was the only country who had the knowledge to build an atomic weapon at the end of World War II and in 1946, they proposed the creation of an international agency that would control atomic energy and ban the production of nuclear weapons. But, the Soviet Union rejected the proposal and instead developed an atomic bomb of their own in 1949.  During the 1950's, both the United States and the Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb, a weapon capable of causing even more destruction than the atomic bomb!  It is easy to see that with the amount of knowledge that is possessed and the amount of resources available today, the idea of total nuclear war is not far fetched.  If we do not handle these weapons with precaution, something as severe as destroying the world is possible.  The fact that countries know that other countries have access to nuclear weapons may well be the reason there has not been many full-scale wars involving superpowers fought during our time. "The terrifying destructiveness of nuclear weapons may well have kept [countries] from risking another major war" (Mitchell 301). 

In conclusion, the morning of August 6, 1945, proved to be much more than just the time that the first atomic bomb was utilized to put an end to a war.  The dropping of the bomb caused physical destruction, bodily injury, and societal destruction.  It also represented the beginning of the nuclear age and the nuclear arms race.  Little Boy dealt a blow to the city of Hiroshima and the country of Japan and left a tremendous amount of damage that has been repaired by now.  Nevertheless, August 6 also served as a starting block for a race that will most likely last until the end of time.  The damages that could result from these weapons and power could possibly be so severe that we are not capable of returning everything back to normal.  That is, if we are able to return anything to normal at all.