9. Hiroshima, Japan
6 August 1945, America stunned the world by dropping an atom bomb ca-
lled Fat Boy on Hiroshima, Japan. The device containing 64 kg of Ura-
nium 235 was released from an American bomber B-29 and it blasted over
Shima Surgical Clinic. The resultant blast was equal to 16 kilotons of TNT
and a brilliant flash of white light followed by a huge sound wave. The fires-
torm and mushrooming cloud killed thousands of citizens and destroyed
buildings in an area comprising 4.7 square miles. Over 20,000 soldiers and
between 70,000 to 1,26,000 civilians died in the explosion.
Today, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial comprises of the collapsed dome of
Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. The Genbaku Dome is
now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and stands as a stark reminder of the
potential devastation of the world by even more powerful nuclear devices.
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