# Canonical recap data for Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki (1945)
# Source: https://recap.at/1945/nagasaki-bombing
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: nagasaki-bombing
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1945/nagasaki-bombing"
title: Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki
aliases:
- Nagasaki bombing
- Fat Man
- August 9, 1945
- Second atomic bombing
subtitle: The second atomic weapon deployed against Japan, killing 70,000 instantly and cementing nuclear weapons as instruments of mass warfare.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1945-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1945
decade: 1940
country:
name: Japan
slug: japan
summaryShort: ""
summaryLong: |-
  On August 9, 1945, at 11:02 AM local time, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan-three days after the bombing of Hiroshima. The weapon, codenamed "Fat Man," detonated approximately 1,650 feet above the city's Urakami district. The blast was roughly equivalent to 21,000 tons of TNT, destroying an estimated 2.6 square miles of the city and killing approximately 70,000 people immediately, with total deaths reaching around 140,000 by the end of 1945 when accounting for radiation sickness and injuries.

  Nagasaki had been selected as a secondary target because of poor visibility over the primary objective, Kokura. As the B-29 bomber Bockscar approached under cloudy conditions, the crew spotted a break in the clouds over Nagasaki and released the bomb. The geography of Nagasaki-nestled in a valley surrounded by hills-meant the blast effects were somewhat contained compared to the flatter terrain of Hiroshima, but the destruction was still catastrophic. The thermal radiation ignited fires across the city, and the blast wave flattened buildings up to 1.2 miles from ground zero.

  Japan announced its surrender on August 15, 1945, just six days after Nagasaki was bombed. Emperor Hirohito cited "a new and most cruel bomb" in his radio address to the nation. The decision to use atomic weapons remains historically contentious-proponents argued it hastened Japan's surrender and avoided a costly mainland invasion, while critics contend Japan was already on the verge of collapse and the bombs' use on civilian populations was unjustifiable. The vast majority of those killed at both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were civilians.

  The survivors of the atomic bombings, known as hibakusha, faced decades of physical and psychological trauma. Many suffered from radiation sickness, cancer, and keloid scarring. Beyond the immediate human toll, the bombings fundamentally altered global politics, initiating the nuclear age and the Cold War arms race. The events at Hiroshima and Nagasaki demonstrated the destructive potential of nuclear weapons and became the only combat use of atomic bombs in human history-a distinction that has endured for nearly 80 years.
lede: On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, three days after destroying Hiroshima. The blast killed an estimated 74,000 people instantly and roughly 140,000 by year's end from injuries and radiation sickness. Japan surrendered five days later, ending World War II.
heroImageUrl: "https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54931050183_509b22b001_b.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"B-29 Bockscar at the National Museum of the USAF. Bockscar nose art: the Fat Man silhouettes represent four pumpkin bomb missions (black) and the atomic bomb drop on Nagasaki (a red symbol, fourth in the line of five symbols)\" by WWII in View is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/."
importance: 88
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Detonation time
  value: "11:02 AM JST, August 9, 1945"
- label: Bomb yield
  value: 21 kilotons of TNT equivalent
- label: Immediate deaths
  value: ~74,000
- label: Deaths by end of 1945
  value: ~140,000
- label: Aircraft
  value: B-29 Superfortress Bockscar
- label: Radius of destruction
  value: ~2.6 kilometers
- label: Days after Hiroshima
  value: "3"
- label: Days before Japanese surrender
  value: "5"
timeline:
- date: 1945-08-06
  title: Hiroshima bombed
  description: United States drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing approximately 70,000 instantly.
- date: 1945-08-08
  title: Soviet Union enters Pacific War
  description: USSR declares war on Japan and begins invasion of Manchuria, dramatically shifting strategic calculations.
- date: 1945-08-09
  title: Nagasaki atomic bombing
  description: "B-29 Bockscar, piloted by Paul Tibbets' crew under Major Charles Sweeney, drops Fat Man on Nagasaki at 11:02 AM. The plutonium bomb detonates at 469 meters above ground, destroying approximately 70% of buildings within 2 kilometers."
- date: 1945-08-10
  title: Japanese government convenes emergency meeting
  description: Cabinet meets to discuss surrender options as Emperor Hirohito expresses willingness to end war.
- date: 1945-08-14
  title: Japan announces surrender
  description: Emperor Hirohito records rescript announcing Japan's acceptance of Allied surrender terms. Broadcast occurs August 15.
- date: 1945-08-15
  title: V-J Day proclaimed
  description: Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II in the Pacific Theater.
- date: 1945-09-02
  title: Formal surrender ceremony
  description: Japan signs Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, officially ending World War II.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin"
  title: Dublin
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Nagasaki marked the second and final use of nuclear weapons in warfare, demonstrating the technology's catastrophic human cost and crystallizing the existential stakes of the nuclear age. The bombing, combined with Soviet entry into the war, pushed Japan toward immediate surrender and ushered in the post-war atomic diplomacy that would define the Cold War.
categories:
- war
- disaster
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
- nuclear_test
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- collapse
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: death
metaDescription: The atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 killed 140,000 people and ended World War II.
wikidataQid: Q1761
peoplesVoice:
- source: William L. Laurence, Science Correspondent, New York Times
  voiceType: media
  context: Laurence had witnessed the Trinity test and reported on the atomic bombing campaign as it unfolded in real time.
  excerpt: Observers agreed the city looked as though a great portion of it had sunk below the surface of the earth, and everything standing had been flattened.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 75
  attribution: New York Times reporting, August 10, 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-08-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: J. Robert Oppenheimer, Director, Manhattan Project
  voiceType: expert
  context: Oppenheimer reflected on the bombings days after Nagasaki, haunted by the scale of destruction his team had made possible.
  excerpt: We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture - 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.'
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 87
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Oppenheimer interviews, August 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-08-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Masao Kato, Japan Broadcasting Corporation News Director
  voiceType: media
  context: Japanese state media reported on the destruction of Nagasaki as the nation grappled with two atomic bombs in three days.
  excerpt: "JA: '長崎市は原子爆弾による全滅的な破壊を受けた' / EN: 'Nagasaki has been subjected to total and utter destruction by an atomic bomb.'"
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 72
  attribution: Japan Broadcasting Corporation, August 9, 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-08-09
  originalLanguage: ja
- source: Leo Szilard, Physicist, Manhattan Project
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Szilard had urged Roosevelt to develop the bomb to counter Nazi Germany but opposed its use on Japan without warning; he spoke to colleagues after Nagasaki.
  excerpt: If the Germans had dropped atomic bombs on cities instead of us, we would have defined the dropping of atomic bombs on cities as a war crime, and we would have sentenced the Germans who were guilty of this crime to death at Nuremberg.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Szilard correspondence, August 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-08-15
  originalLanguage: en
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Mark-28_bomb_being_transported_to_an_F-100_via_bomb_lift_truck_by_the_load_crew_of_the_18th_Tactical_Fighter_Wing_at_Kadena_Air_Base.jpg/1280px-Mark-28_bomb_being_transported_to_an_F-100_via_bomb_lift_truck_by_the_load_crew_of_the_18th_Tactical_Fighter_Wing_at_Kadena_Air_Base.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Mark-28_bomb_being_transported_to_an_F-100_via_bomb_lift_truck_by_the_load_crew_of_the_18th_Tactical_Fighter_Wing_at_Kadena_Air_Base.jpg/800px-Mark-28_bomb_being_transported_to_an_F-100_via_bomb_lift_truck_by_the_load_crew_of_the_18th_Tactical_Fighter_Wing_at_Kadena_Air_Base.jpg"
  caption: Nuclear weapons delivery
  credit: Wikipedia · "Nuclear weapons delivery"
  width: 330
  height: 261
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Nagasaki population
  thenValue: ~240,000
  thenYear: 1945
  nowValue: ~370,000
  nowYear: 2024
  note: City has rebuilt and grown despite the devastation
- metric: Global nuclear warheads
  thenValue: 2 deployed in combat
  thenYear: 1945
  nowValue: ~13,000 across all nations
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Only combat use of nuclear weapons in history
- metric: Radiation dose at 1 km from epicenter
  thenValue: ~6,300 rem
  thenYear: 1945
  nowValue: N/A - exceeds lethal exposure
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Modern safety limits are 5 rem for emergency workers
- metric: Estimated deaths from Nagasaki bombing
  thenValue: ~140,000 by end of 1945
  thenYear: 1945
  nowValue: Casualty figure unchanged
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Includes immediate deaths and radiation sickness through December 1945
consequences:
- title: Japan's Surrender
  year: 1945
  description: Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's unconditional surrender on August 15, 1945, six days after the Nagasaki bombing. The attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, had initiated US involvement in the Pacific War; the atomic bombings effectively ended it.
- title: Instrument of Surrender Signed
  year: 1945
  description: Japan formally signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers, officially ending World War II.
- title: International Atomic Energy Agency Founded
  year: 1957
  description: The IAEA was established by the United Nations to promote peaceful use of nuclear energy and prevent weaponization. The organization's founding reflected growing international concern about nuclear proliferation in the post-WWII era.
- title: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Signed
  year: 1968
  description: The NPT was signed by 62 nations to prevent spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology. It remains the most widely signed arms control agreement, though enforcement challenges persist.
- title: Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park Established
  year: 1955
  description: The Peace Park was opened on the 10th anniversary of the bombing as a memorial to victims and a monument to peace. The Nagasaki Peace Memorial Museum opened in 1996, providing documentation of the bombing and its aftermath.
- title: US Apology and Ongoing Historical Reckoning
  year: 2016
  description: President Barack Obama visited Hiroshima in May 2016, the first sitting US president to do so. While stopping short of a formal apology, his visit acknowledged the human cost and prompted renewed global discussion about nuclear weapons.
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Ginkgo Biloba
  artist: Various traditional performers
  year: 1945
  note: The ginkgo tree became a symbol of resilience in Nagasaki; a tree near the hypocenter survived and was revered in post-war memorial culture
topFilms: []
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: "The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki defined the immediate post-1945 era as the beginning of the nuclear age. The events catalyzed Japan's artistic and literary focus on memory, loss, and peace-themes that dominated Japanese culture for decades. The bombings introduced a new vocabulary of existential dread: radiation sickness, fallout, and the possibility of human extinction became fixtures of global consciousness. In Japan specifically, a pacifist sentiment took root constitutionally (Article 9 renounced war), and survivor testimony (hibakusha accounts) became central to Japanese identity and moral witness."
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: new-york-times
  headline: New Atomic Bomb Loosed on Japan; Second City Hit
  publishedAt: 1945-08-10
  url: "https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/"
  excerpt: The United States announced that a second atomic bomb had been dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, destroying a second Japanese city in the space of three days. The bomb was described as far exceeding the destructive power of conventional weapons.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times-london
  headline: Atomic Bomb Destroys Nagasaki
  publishedAt: 1945-08-10
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.org holdings
  excerpt: A second atomic bomb has obliterated the Japanese city of Nagasaki, the War Office announced. The blast followed the destruction of Hiroshima by three days, signaling a new phase in the Pacific campaign.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Asahi Shimbun
  publisherSlug: asahi-shimbun
  headline: Synthesized from period reporting - Japanese censorship prevented initial domestic reporting
  publishedAt: 1945-08-10
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - post-war archives only
  excerpt: "Synthesized from period reporting - JA: Nagasaki-shi ga shin-heiki de hakai sareta / EN: Nagasaki City destroyed by new weapon. Japanese domestic press was heavily censored and did not immediately report atomic bombing details; confirmation came through foreign broadcasts and post-surrender announcements."
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: Japan
- publisher: BBC Radio
  publisherSlug: bbc-radio
  headline: Second Atomic Bomb Strikes Nagasaki
  publishedAt: 1945-08-10
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - BBC Written Archives Centre
  excerpt: The British Broadcasting Corporation reported the U.S. announcement of a second atomic bomb deployed against Japan, this time destroying the city of Nagasaki. BBC correspondents emphasized the unprecedented destructive capacity of atomic weaponry.
  significance: 87
  type: radio
  region: United Kingdom
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260531165447/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-31
  label: Dublin
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin"
translations:
es:
lede: El 9 de agosto de 1945, Estados Unidos lanzó una bomba atómica sobre Nagasaki, Japón, tres días después de destruir Hiroshima. La explosión mató a un estimado de 74,000 personas instantáneamente y aproximadamente 140,000 a finales de año por heridas y enfermedad por radiación. Japón se rindió cinco días después, terminando la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
summaryLong: |-
  El 9 de agosto de 1945, a las 11:02 AM hora local, Estados Unidos lanzó una bomba atómica sobre Nagasaki, Japón, tres días después del bombardeo de Hiroshima. El arma, con nombre clave "Fat Man", detonó aproximadamente 1,650 pies sobre el distrito Urakami de la ciudad. La explosión fue aproximadamente equivalente a 21,000 toneladas de TNT, destruyendo un estimado de 2.6 millas cuadradas de la ciudad y matando aproximadamente 70,000 personas inmediatamente, con muertes totales alcanzando alrededor de 140,000 a finales de 1945 al contabilizar la enfermedad por radiación y heridas.

  Nagasaki fue seleccionada como objetivo secundario debido a la pobre visibilidad sobre el objetivo primario, Kokura. Mientras el bombardero B-29 Bockscar se acercaba bajo condiciones nubladas, la tripulación divisó una abertura en las nubes sobre Nagasaki y lanzó la bomba. La geografía de Nagasaki, anidada en un valle rodeado de colinas, significó que los efectos de la explosión estuvieran algo contenidos comparado con el terreno más plano de Hiroshima, pero la destrucción fue aun así catastrófica. La radiación térmica encendió incendios a través de la ciudad, y la onda expansiva derribó edificios hasta 1.2 millas del epicentro.

  Japón anunció su rendición el 15 de agosto de 1945, apenas seis días después de que Nagasaki fue bombardeada. El Emperador Hirohito citó "una bomba nueva y más cruel" en su discurso radial a la nación. La decisión de usar armas atómicas sigue siendo históricamente controvertida: los proponentes argumentaron que aceleró la rendición de Japón y evitó una invasión continental costosa, mientras que los críticos sostienen que Japón ya estaba al borde del colapso y el uso de las bombas en poblaciones civiles fue injustificable. La gran mayoría de los muertos en Hiroshima y Nagasaki fueron civiles.

  Los sobrevivientes de los bombardeos atómicos, conocidos como hibakusha, enfrentaron décadas de trauma físico y psicológico. Muchos sufrieron de enfermedad por radiación, cáncer y cicatrización queloidea. Más allá del costo humano inmediato, los bombardeos alteraron fundamentalmente la política global, iniciando la era nuclear y la carrera de armamentos de la Guerra Fría. Los eventos en Hiroshima y Nagasaki demostraron el potencial destructivo de las armas nucleares y se convirtieron en el único uso en combate de bombas atómicas en la historia humana, una distinción que ha perdurado por casi 80 años.
generatedAt: "2026-06-07T17:21:32.411Z"
fr:
lede: Le 9 août 1945, les États-Unis ont largué une bombe atomique sur Nagasaki, au Japon, trois jours après la destruction d'Hiroshima. L'explosion a tué environ 74 000 personnes sur le coup et environ 140 000 d'ici la fin de l'année en raison des blessures et des radiations. Le Japon s'est rendu cinq jours plus tard, mettant fin à la Seconde Guerre mondiale.
summaryLong: |-
  Le 9 août 1945, à 11 h 02, heure locale, les États-Unis ont largué une bombe atomique sur Nagasaki, au Japon, trois jours après le bombardement d'Hiroshima. L'arme, codée « Fat Man », a explosé à environ 500 mètres au-dessus du quartier d'Urakami. L'explosion était à peu près équivalente à 21 000 tonnes de TNT, détruisant environ 6,7 kilomètres carrés de la ville et tuant environ 70 000 personnes sur le coup, le nombre total de morts atteignant environ 140 000 d'ici la fin de 1945 lorsqu'on tient compte des radiations et des blessures.

  Nagasaki avait été sélectionnée comme cible secondaire en raison de la mauvaise visibilité au-dessus de l'objectif principal, Kokura. Alors que le bombardier B-29 Bockscar s'approchait dans des conditions nuageuses, l'équipage a aperçu une troée dans les nuages au-dessus de Nagasaki et a largué la bombe. La géographie de Nagasaki, nichée dans une vallée entourée de collines, a signifié que les effets de l'explosion ont été quelque peu limités par rapport au terrain plat d'Hiroshima, mais la destruction a été tout de même catastrophique. Le rayonnement thermique a déclenché des incendies dans toute la ville, et l'onde de choc a rasé les bâtiments jusqu'à 1,9 kilomètre de l'hypocentre.

  Le Japon a annoncé sa reddition le 15 août 1945, six jours seulement après le bombardement de Nagasaki. L'empereur Hirohito a cité « une bombe nouvelle et extrêmement cruelle » dans son allocution radiophonique à la nation. La décision d'utiliser les armes atomiques reste historiquement contestée : les partisans arguaient qu'elle avait accéléré la reddition du Japon et évité une invasion terrestre coûteuse, tandis que les critiques soutiennent que le Japon était déjà au bord de l'effondrement et que l'utilisation des bombes contre les populations civiles était injustifiable. La grande majorité de ceux tués à Hiroshima et à Nagasaki étaient des civils.

  Les survivants des bombardements atomiques, connus sous le nom de hibakusha, ont connu des décennies de traumatisme physique et psychologique. Beaucoup ont souffert de radiations, de cancer et de cicatrices chéloïdes. Au-delà du coût humain immédiat, les bombardements ont fondamentalement modifié la politique mondiale, inaugurant l'ère nucléaire et la course aux armements de la Guerre froide. Les événements d'Hiroshima et de Nagasaki ont démontré le potentiel destructeur des armes nucléaires et restent le seul usage au combat de bombes atomiques dans l'histoire de l'humanité, une distinction qui perdure depuis près de 80 ans.
generatedAt: "2026-06-07T17:21:38.613Z"
