In the midst of celebrating the Olympics in Japan, much of the world appears to have forgotten one of the most shocking turning points in history. On Monday Aug. 6, 1945, the United States unleashed an atomic bomb on Hiroshima killing 140,000 people instantly. Seventy per cent of the city was destroyed. A few days later on Aug. 9, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing an estimated 70,000 people. The Japanese government stated that the death toll was much higher than the American estimates, indicating that it was close to a half million. Many died not only because of lack of medical help, but also from radioactive rain. In the immediate aftermath, the incineration of mostly innocent civilians was buried in official government pronouncements about the victory of the bombings of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For more see
