Fast Facts about World War II

World War II began when European leaders began to seek total control. Some of these leaders were Adolf Hitler from Germany, Benito Mussolini from Italy, Josef Stalin from the Soviet Union, and Hideki Tojo from Japan. The United States entered World War II the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, a naval base in Hawaii.

Why an Atomic Bomb?

By the end of the war, after hundreds of thousands of soldiers giving their lives for the war effort, and countless sacrifices from citizens on the home-front, the United States had to make a decision. What could possibly end this worldwide conflict? Was it possible to bring an end to the problems without causing any more destruction? The answer was not simple. President Harry Truman was forced to make the difficult decision of dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a city in Japan, on August 6, 1945. The bomb killed almost 100,000 innocent Japanese citizens on impact. Countless more lives were lost from the fallout leftover from the bomb.

Hiroshima

President Truman gave the order to drop the first bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The plane that dropped it was called "Enola Gay," and the bomb was nicknamed "Little Boy," due to its weight and length. As soon as the bomb exploded onto Hiroshima, life stopped for the citizens of the Japanese city. Over 140,000 people were killed upon impact or in the months that came after the bombing due to injuries linked to radiation. Though the blast had a major impact, the Japanese did not surrender. The United States had another decision to make: should they drop another bomb?

Nagasaki

Three days after the initial bombing, on August 9th, 1945, the United States dropped another bomb, but this time it hit a different city - Nagasaki. Tens of thousands more lives were lost due to the second bomb, but it did the trick. On August 15, 1945, Japan officially surrendered, bringing an end to World War II and a victory for the Allies.

The Impact of the Atomic Bombs

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were completely wiped off of the map, and millions of lives were forever changed. As the Japanese worked to rebuild, the United States and its allies had something to celebrate. Everywhere around the nation, Americans stormed the streets in celebration of the end of the war. This day is called VJ Day, or the day when the Allies accomplished victory over Japan.