ATOMIC BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA & NAGASAKI | 10
Things You Didn't Know
SUBTITLES! ► If you want to help subtitle this video into your native language, please let us know so we can give you credit~
http://www.youtube.com/timedtext_video?v=wETSBaFwzu0
Right now, is the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of
Hiroshima &
Nagasaki. They are the first and only instances in history of nuclear weapons being used in warfare.
Actually this isn’t my first video on the topic.
Previously, I did a video on how my grandpa survived the Hiroshima
Atomic Bomb:
https://youtu.be/WJTiMgAzVEg
*CORRECTION: In the video, the location of Nagasaki is off. It should be more on the left side of
Kyushu island. (thanks longtlam!)
Alright let’s get into it!
1)
Godzilla
Godzilla or
Gojira, the giant
Japanese dinosaur-looking monster, a worldwide pop culture icon; who’s been in numerous movies. The latest one in 2014, also starring
Heisenberg,
Scarlet Witch &
Quicksilver!
Why am I mentioning this? Well, Godzilla owes its existence to the atomic bombs
. In the aftermath, with the devastation still fresh in the Japanese consciousness, Godzilla was created as a metaphor for nuclear weapons and their destructive capabilities.
2) The
Korean Casualties
An enormous number of
Koreans also perished in the blast. In fact, around 25% of casualties were Koreans.
Korea was under Japanese rule at the time so there were many drafted or conscripted Koreans in Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
It’s unfortunate that the Korean victims of this tragedy have often been neglected.
3)
Close Call Kyoto
Today’s Kyoto landscape would have been greatly altered, and not for the better, if the
Americans had gone about their original plan. The targets were in fact supposed to be Hiroshima & Kyoto. However, the
US Secretary of War at the time,
Henry L Stimson, insisted on sparing the so called
City of
Ten Thousand Shrines.
4) The Pamphlet Warnings
Just prior to dropping the
Atomic bombs, the
US Airforce released pamphlets or leaflets from their planes warning
Japanese citizens of the impending destruction. They were largely ineffective.
5)
The Little Boy &
The Fat Man
These were the
American codenames of the two atomic bombs.
6)
The American Casualties
12 American airmen were captured, then taken to the
Chugoku Military Police Headquarters in Hiroshima, where the American weapon of mass destruction indiscriminately took them out. And they were probably not the only American POWs on the ground that day.
7) Go
An important
Go tournament was held in the suburbs of Hiroshima, about 5 km or 3 miles from ground zero; and on
August 6th 1945, a pivotal match up was ongoing between champion Hashimoto and the challenger
Iwamoto. When the atomic bomb went off, people were injured, buildings were damaged, and the game came to an immediate halt. Fortunately no one died as tournament officials had earlier moved the game away from the blast radius after coming across the American pamphlets.
The players took this opportunity to have a quick lunch break.
Afterwards on the same day, they finished the game.
White won.
8)
Operation Meetinghouse
As devastating as the atomic bombs were, it didn’t even rank as the most destructive bombing event of
WW2. That title goes to the deathly firebombing of
Tokyo by the
US Air Force, also known as Operation Meetinghouse. This was estimated to be the single most destructive bombing attack not just in
Japan, but in history.
9)
The Flame Of
Peace
The
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was built in dedication to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack. In the park, sits The Flame of Peace which has burned continuously since
1964, and will remain lit until all nuclear weapons are removed from the world and the planet is free from nuclear threat.
10) The Improbable
Survivor
Tsutomu Yamaguchi worked for the
Mitsubishi company, and on August 6th, 1945, he was away from home on a business trip in Hiroshima.
He witnessed the
Little Boy dropping from the sky and the explosion ruptured his eardrums, blinded him, and left him with serious burns. But he was alive. The very next day, he dragged his body to a station, made his way out of Hiroshima and back to his hometown. At home, he finally received treatment for his wounds.
Two days later, despite being seriously injured and heavily bandaged, he informed Mitsubishi that he was back from his Hiroshima business trip and ready to report to work. So, he went to work, as if nothing major had happened.
Yamaguchi was lucky to have survived the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb. However, he was unlucky that he went back home
..
..to Nagasaki
..
Thanks for watching! And if you enjoyed this video, don't forget to LIKE,
SHARE & SUBSCRIBE ^^
MUSIC CREDIT
Infectious - by
Tobu (http://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial)
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentobento2015
Like us on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kento-Bento/1541570546113993
- published: 07 Aug 2015
- views: 48698