World Nagasaki Day | 7 Facts About Nagasaki Bombing You Must Know

Aug 09, 2023, 06:16 IST

Moohita Kaur Garg

Fat Man

The bomb that devastated Nagasaki on 9 August 1945 was called 'Fat Man'.

A bigger bomb

Compared to 'Little Boy', the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, the 'Fat Man' was a bigger, more complex design that was plutonium-based.

Inspired from a movie

The codenames 'Fat Man' and 'Little Boy' were inspired by John Huston's 1941 film The Maltese Falcon.

Nagasaki wasn't on the list

The US's initial hit list, as per History Hit, had five cities: Kokura, Hiroshima, Yokohama, Niigata and Kyoto. However, Kyoto was spared because the then-US Secretary of War, Henry Stimson was fond of the ancient Japanese capital.

A warning?

Before the devastating bombs, US Air Force dropped pamphlets in Japan. While these didn't specifically warn of an impending nuclear attack on the two cities, they promised "prompt and utter destruction," urging civilians to flee.

Lives lost

The Nagasaki bombing caused the death of some 60,000-80,000 people or around 20% of the population. Meanwhile, an estimated 90,000-166,000 people died in the Hiroshima bombing (6 August 1945).

Infrastructure

The Fat Man obliterated around 23% of Nagasaki's buildings and 70% of its industrial zone.

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