Atomic Bomb

On the morning of August 6, 1945, the first Atomic Bomb in history was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Soon after, on August 14, 1945, the Japanese abruptly surrendered, abandoning their ancient customs regarding honor in war. The fact that only two bombs were able to bring an entire country to its knees is a true testament to the awesome power they held. There is nothing in modern warfare that can compete with the devastating effects of nuclear weapons.

At the beginning of World War II, the Japanese were a major threat to the Asian World. On December 7, 1941, when they decided to attack Pearl Harbor (a US naval base in Hawaii), it was evident that their intentions were not limited to Asia. The United States entered World War II as a result of this attack. The war continued for six long years, and involved most of the major World Powers. During this time, there were many battles between the United States and Japan, including one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, which took place at Okinawa. If allowed to expand, Japan posed a serious threat to the allies.

During the war, one of the most brilliant scientists in history, Albert Einstein, hypothesized that if the true power of the atom were released in a weapon, the results would be devastating. This was soon confirmed by a large portion of the scientific community. Whoever possessed such a weapon would be in complete power. Many government officials felt that such a weapon could put an end to the war. For this reason, in 1942, the United States decided to pursue the atomic bomb. Later that year, Franklin D. Roosevelt began the Manhattan Project.

The Manhattan Project was a massive engineering enterprise aimed at the ultimate goal of creating an atomic bomb. At one time it employed over 129,000 workers. The United States was the only nation in the world with the capacity to work on such a high level. Though it cost approximately $2 billion dollars, many officials who knew about the Top Secret project felt it was well worth it- if the Atomic Bomb proved useful. Another major expense of the United States government was the development of the B-29, a bomber plane specifically designed for dropping Atomic Bombs. The estimated cost of this project is ...

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...ioned on the ends of long-range rockets, expanding the range of the weapon. Radioactive materials essential to the construction of a Nuclear Weapon are now more readily available to small countries and terrorists. This poses the threat of Nuclear Warfare, which could ultimately end in the extinction of humanity.

Nuclear Weapons cannot be “uninvented”, so therefore we must learn to live with the possible threat of Nuclear War. The first Atomic Bombs were used to end a war, however that was in the days when the only nation in possession of them was the United States. Today, if a Nuclear War broke out, the defensive nation would most likely return fire, which could result in a global incident. It is unlikely that all of the world’s Nuclear Weapons will ever be destroyed, since the possession of them provides protection from a Nuclear Strike by another country. They are a mediating factor in times of war. Due to human nature, all we can do is hope that they are never used, and that the destruction and bloodshed brought about by the first Atomic Bomb taught us a lesson. It is even possible that this kind of power was never intended for mankind to discover.