History of the Atomic Bomb

Online Resources on the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

History > World War II > Atomic Bomb

Nuclear Studies > The Atomic Bomb

See Also

• The Cold War
• History Gateway
• Japan Studies
• Modern European History
• Political Science
• U.S. History - Modern America

Start with
Atomic Archive
"Explores the complex history surrounding the invention of the atomic bomb...Read biographies of A-bomb father Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi's account of the Trinity Test. Examine maps of the damage to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and summaries of arms-control treaties. You'll also find an excellent gallery of photographs and historical footage."
Important site with online documents, photographs and videos

Continue on with
A-Bomb WWW Museum (English or Japanese)
Selections include exhibits of the Peace Memorial Museum, record of A-Bomb disaster, voices of survivors, a child's experience, tour around Peace Park, and a page on the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

City of Hiroshima, The (Japanese)
Mostly tourist information but does contain a large selection of photographs at the time of the bombing

CNN - Devastation at Hiroshima
"Rare footage of the aftermath of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima has now been made available to the world -- three years after it was discovered by accident in a Tokyo film vault."
Includes 1.2M QuickTime movie. From CNN

High Energy Weapons Archive
A Guide to Nuclear Weapons
Includes sections on the development of the bomb, postwar development, nuclear weapons tests series conducted since World War II by country, Arsenals of the Declared Nuclear States, Nuclear States in the Shadows, Reference Library, The site also keeps a useful archive including a graphics archive

Hiroshima Archive
"Is intended to serve as a research and educational guide to those who want to gain and expand their knowledge of the atomic bombing."
Includes photography gallery, and directory of bibliographies and links.
By Mayu Tsuruya, Lewis & Clark College

National Academies Press (free online versions)

• 2003
  • A Review of the Dose Reconstruction Program of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (etext)
    Committee to Review the Dose Reconstruction Program of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, National Research Council, 2003.

Nuclearfiles.org
Comprehensive site that includes information on the history of nuclear weapons,
- Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Nuke Pop
"When the first nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, popular culture was quick to respond."
By Paul Brians, Washington State University

Personal Record of Hiroshima A-Bomb Survival (English or Japanese)
The Terao memoir and responses

The Race to Build the Atomic Bomb: A Resource for Teacher's and Students
Sections include: US/Eng. Timeline ; Competition ; Exodus of Scientists ; Physics ; Those Responsible ; Research ; Lesson Plans ; Resources.
Created by Doug Prouty.

Remembering Nagasaki
Photographs by Japanese Army photographer Yosuke Yamahata

Scientific Data of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Disaster (English or Japanese)
by the Division of Scientific Data Registry, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, School of Medicine, Nagasaki Univ.

Unofficial Trinity Site Page

Voice of Hibakusha
Eye-witness accounts of the bombing of Hiroshima, from the video Hiroshima Witness, produced by Hiroshima Peace Cultural Center and NHK.

The Decision

The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb
"The collection has links to the digital versions of the "Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb" study collection, as well as the smaller study collection of the same topic. These are digital representations of the original study collections held at the Truman Presidential Library. Study collections are boxes of items related to major topics or events that occurred during the Truman presidency, and include documents ranging from press releases to Truman's personal diary entries. They were selected from the actual archives by subject specialists, photocopied, and are presented in the Research Room of the library for easy access by interested researchers. This particular collection deals with the decision to use the Atomic Bomb to end the war with Japan."

The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb: Gar Alperovitz and the H-Net Debate

George Washington University - National Security Archive

• The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources
  National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 162.
  Edited by William Burr, Posted August, 2005.

Smithsonian Exhibit
The Enola Gay Controversy
"How Do We Remember a War that We Won?"
"After about ten months of open, sustained controversy, the Smithsonian bowed to pressure, canceled the original exhibit, and replaced it with one less controversial. That action was both praised and scorned. And the whole episode continues to be a flash point among the indefatigable belligerents of the so-called 'culture wars'...Thus, the pages that follow enable users to experience the evolution of the Enola Gay controversy -- in some sense to relive it -- by reading through a chronological list of documents divided into five 'rounds.'"
By Edward J. Gallagher, Dept. of English, Lehigh University

See Also

• The Cold War
• History Gateway
• Japan Studies
• Modern European History
• Political Science
• U.S. History - Modern America

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