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Hiroshima after the blast
This panorama was taken a day after the blast leveled Hiroshima. I don't think a trip to Japan would be complete without a visit to either Hiroshima or Nagasaki. The horror inflicted on those 2 cities have unquestionably changed the world we live in. Understanding what happened and why is an important lesson which probably doesn't get the attention it should. Both are cities that have hundreds of years of history, but will forever be remembered instead for single events which occured on August 6 and 9 of 1945. Since that time, the cities have rebuilt themselves and life has resumed normalcy, for those who were not affected anyway. Both cities have chosen to build museums and memorials to bring attention to what happened on those days, the lead up to it, and the aftermath. More importantly, the museums and the memorials surrounding them appeal for peace in a nuclear free world. I think the leader of every nuclear weaonized country should visit these museums, and many have.
The presentation of material at these museums did not have a negative tone about it and there was no placement of blame on any person or nation. It was an explanation of events in as fair a way as is possible from both
Model of Hiroshima
The red ball is the epicenter of the blast. The bombs were set to detenate less than half a mile above ground. The model is to scale. sides, and lets the viewer come to his or her own conclusions. Nagasaki's museum had a bit more detail on Japan's involvement in the war and how they shaped it. Hiroshima contained more information on the Manhattan project including copies of letters and documents from the US Archives that have since been declassified, such as the letter that Albert Einstein had signed urging President Rosevelt to launch the project. I found this aspect to be the most interesting. Billions of dollars were spent, and a siziable percentage of the US workforce was involved in the project. It seems incomprehensible today in the world of press leaks that something on such a scale could ever be kept so secret. Even Truman didn't know about it until he assumed the presidency.
Both museums took time to highlight which cities had been identified as targets and how the fate of Hiroshima and Nagasaki came to be sealed. It had been agreed that Japan would be the first target and not Germany, because if the bomb did not explode the Germans would have the capability to disasemble and re-engineer it, but the Japanese were not thought to be as advanced in their research.
Stopped Pocketwatch
This pocketwatch shows the exact time of the explosion at Hiroshima. The aftermath was well documented, including actual footage taken from the Enola Gay and Bockscar bombers. There were many artifacts left behind including more than a few watches that had stopped at exactly the moment the bomb exploded. A section of stone steps from a bank near the epicenter were excavated and placed in the museum. You can still see the shadow of where someone was sitting as they waited for the bank to open. The suffering did not end there and both museums dedidcated sections to explain and show the effects of radiation poisoning, which were still being understood at the time.
Although the museums could have stopped there, they carried the theme forward, as they should, and listed out all of the countires who have since acquired Nuclear weapons. It applauds the countries and regions who have vowed not to take up nuclear arms and did not fail to mention the progress, and sometimes lack of progress, that has been made with limitation treaties and bans on nuclear testing. Each time a nuclear test is conducted somewhere in the world, the mayor of Hiroshima sends a letter of protest to the ambassador of the country involved.
Atomic Dome
Most buildings in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing were wooden and incinerated, however a few sone ones remained. During reconstruction it was lobbied for that this building should forever remain as it was on Aug 6, 1945. The original rubble still lays where it fell. The walls in the museum are lined with them. The message is clear, as long as there are nuclear weapons in this world, humanity is subject to their effects; both intentional or accidental. There was an interesting plaque that laid out all of the known nuclear accidents that have occured throughout the world since Hiroshima. It was shocking to me to read how many accidents involving nuclear weapons have occured on US soil, including an incident in 1961 when a B-52 bomber caught fire over North Carolina and accidentally dropped 2 hydrogen bombs.
Outside of the museum in Hiroshima is the Peace Park with numerous memorials. Across the river stands the Atomic Dome. It is a building which was about 200 meters from the epicenter of the blast. It was designed around the turn of the 20th centrury by a Czech architect and was a symbol of much pride in Hiroshima in a town surrounded by mostly wooden buildings. It has been preserved to look as it did on the day of the bombing so that people will not forget. It is a chilling reminder of what humanity is capable of.
As I left the Nagasaki museum, my
Reinactment of the aftermath
This model depicts what life was like for those close to the epicenter but not close enough for immediate death. Victims complained of feeling thirsty and desperatly needing water. eye caught the headline of a newspaper which read that Syria had just had a nuclear weapons site bombed by Israel, an unofficial nuclear state. Clearly these museums are just as relevant today as they have ever been.
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