By Francis Fernandes
In a few days from now the world will remember the two days that shook the planet in 1945 and in Japan the people will commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the holocaust of the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945 by holding night vigils and remembearing the dead and praying for peace around the world. While Germany had surrendered unconditionally on 7 May 1945 and signed a Declaration of Surrender on 8 May 1945, Japan under Emperor Hirohito refused to surrender. Earlier on 26 July 1945, under the Potsdam Declaration signed by US, Britain and China, Japan was warned of total destruction if it failed to surrender. Japan was surrounded on all sides. Emperor Hirohito refused to surrender. On the tiny island of Okinawa, 66,000 Japanese soldiers committed suicide. After repeated appeals to surrender, the allies were forced to take this drastic step.
On 6 August 1945, US Bomber B-29 dropped the first atom bomb on Hiroshima, it was named Little Boy and weighed 60 kgs of enriched uranium. The bomb was timed, parachuted and exploded 600 metres above the city. 80,000 people died and 70% of the city’s infrastructure was destroyed. Still appeals for surrender by the allies were refused by Japan. On 9 August 1945, US President Truman ordered a 2nd atom bomb enriched with plutonium to be dropped on Nagasaki – the industrial city of Japan. The bomb was timed, parachuted and exploded 1250 metres above the city. The bomb was named Fat Boy. Following the bombing on Nagasaki, between 60,000 to 80,000 people died. In the years that followed both in Hiroshima and Nagasaki the land turned barren. In the years to come thousands of people died of cancer. As of today the figures available are around 1,29,000 people dead mostly civilians and the figures of people who died of cancer are still not clear.
Earlier on 28 June 1914 a single bullet fired by a Bosnian national killed Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria and it led to the ignition of the 1st world war which lasted till 1918 and a bullet fired by Adolf Hitler himself on 30th April 1945 brought to an end the 2nd world war which Hitler himself started in 1939. These two bullets mark dramatic developments of the 20th century. In the 1st World War, deadly poisonous gasses were used apart from conventional weapons. The 2nd World War started on 1 September 1939 and lasted till 8 May 1945 and was fought with improved weaponry. Both the wars inflicted heavy casualties on humanity and humanity has not earned anything from both the wars. Humanity has learnt only suffering, death, total destruction, destitution of women and children as an end result of the wars. In 1945 the US was the only nation in the world to have acquired nuclear technology but as of today, many nations have gone nuclear. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki where countless civilians have died is a grim reminder of the realities that will unfold if a 3rd World War takes place and may not involve the use of large armies, tanks and warplanes. It will just be a matter of a few Atom Bombs which are of a much improved version now and it will be total annihilation of humanity and obliteration of all the wonders of the universe and inventions man had created for humanity.
