Drawing on primary sources and startling photographs, a renowned authority investigates the events that led up to the disaster at Hiroshima in 1945 — and discusses the consequences we are still living with today.

"My God, what have we done?" — Copilot of the ENOLA GAY, after dropping the first atomic bomb

On August 6, 1945, the United States of America dropped the world¹s first atomic bomb, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, a decision that ushered in the nuclear age and marked the end of World War II. When the atomic bomb exploded at 8:15 a.m., 70,000 people were killed instantly. Thousands more were dead of radiation sickness within weeks. More still were sick, scarred, and deformed for the rest of their lives by the chemicals in the bomb. Three days later, another bomb killed 40,000 people in Nagasaki. In this extraordinary resource for young readers, Clive A. Lawton clearly and objectively explores the politics and the science behind the military decision that would set in motion the nuclear arms race.