Did You Know...

...U.S. President Truman had been in office only six months when he made the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima?

...that 62,000 buildings were destroyed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima?

...that the total number who died by the end of December 1945, as a result of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, approximately 140,000?

Hiroshima: From The Depths Of Destruction

To The Heights Of Peace

(International Schools Cyber Fair 1998 Project Home Page)

These pages are the result of a project created by the Middle and High School students of Hiroshima International School. It is our hope to enlighten people about the damage caused by the atomic bomb and Hiroshima's feelings about peace. By passing on understanding of what events led up to the dropping of the atomic bomb and the subsequent pain and suffering that ensued we hope to help others understand the "Spirit of Hiroshima" - its appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of lasting peace. Our project is divided into the following sections: Historical Sites; Atomic Bomb facts and figures;Poems For Two Voices; Radiation Effects; 1000 Crane Club; Survivor Stories; Hiroshima Internet Links; and a Bibliography.

Industrial Promotion Hall now known as the Atomic Bomb Dome seen from the hypocenter. This picture was taken from the Sanyo Hospital early October by Shigeo Hayashi.

At 8:15 A.M. August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb dropped in history exploded approximately 580 meters above the center of Hiroshima. Humanity had entered the "nuclear age" (see Atomic Bomb). In an instant, the city was reduced to a scorched plain, wiping out countless unsuspecting and innocent lives and inflicting devastation on all city functions. This unprecedented tragedy was on a completely different scale from the destruction caused by natural disasters or conventional weapons (see Post A-Bomb and Historical Sites).

Furthermore, the large amount of radiation that instantly produced by the atomic bomb penetrated deeply into people's bodies, destroying cells and the lives of thousands. The after effects of radiation continue to threaten the lives of the survivors even today and have caused considerable psychological damage (see Survivors and Radiation Effects).

The physical damage caused by the atomic bomb ranged from injuries caused by severe heat rays and bomb blast to cellular destruction from radiation. It is estimated that the number who died by the end of December 1945, when death from acute radiation had subsided, was approximately 140,000 (plus or minus 10,000)

By developing nuclear weapons, human beings have placed themselves on the brink of self-extinction. Hiroshima, having experienced a preview of that extinction, was transformed. A city known for education and military facilities became a city known for its efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons and bring lasting world peace. The indelible conviction that nuclear weapons are unacceptable gave rise to the Spirit of Hiroshima, the constant and unwavering desire for the abolition of nuclear weapons and a world permanently at peace.

We hope you enjoy our CyberFair project. In the words of Sadako Sasaki, (see 1000 Crane Club), a vivacious young girl struck down by radiation aftereffects:

THIS IS OUR CRY AND OUR PRAYER,

IN BUILDING PEACE IN THIS WORLD.

Michiko Yamaoka (center front) an A-bomb survivor who told the Middle School students of her experiences as a result of the dropping of the A-bomb on Hiroshima (see Survivors). Participants are as follows: Back Row - Stephanie R., Ryan S., Joe R., Mayumi Yingling (Japanese Language teacher), Andrew C., Paul Ketko (Middle School teacher/CyberFair coordinator). Middle Row - Anna S., Doug B., Won Suk L., Blake W. Front Row - Roy T., Sarah S., Michiko Yamaoka, Yumi H., Dorothy V., Eleanor Jones (Principal).

Middle and High School students with Danial Seltz, a Fulbright Fellow, Institute for Peace Studies, Hiroshima University, who talked to us about the A-bomb. Participants are as follows: Back Row - Ryan S., Won Suk L., Charles V., Andrew C., Adam M., Doug B. Front Row - Roy T., Sarah S., Anna S., Gabriel B., Daniel Seltz, Hillary V., Stephanie R., Dorothy V., Blake W.

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A-Bomb Scene

"The city of Hiroshima was still hot on the day after the bombing." This photograph of the "unbelievably burnt ruins," was taken by Mitsugu Kishida, who was then a Japanese press cameraman

Children's Peace Monument, also known as the Tower of the Paper Cranes. standing in front of the statue are the HIS Cyber Fair team during their visit to Peace Park

Shigeru was a first-year student at Hiroshima Prefectural Middle School #2 and was mobilized everyday with his classmates to work on clearing demolished buildings. He was exposed to the A-bombing on August 6 in Nakajima Shinmachi (currently Peace Park), approximately 500 meters from the hypocenter. His mother walked around the A-bombed city looking for her son, eventually finding him with a lunch box strapped around his stomach. The body was unidentifiable, and the lunch box, with its contents that he never ate, were burned black. (Courtesy of Shigeko Oremen)