On August 6, 1945, an American Boeing B-29 Superfortress dropped an atomic bomb named Little Boy on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion killed around 129,000 people in the country's seventh-largest city. Seventy-nine years after the catastrophe, horrifying evidence can still be seen in the stricken city.
Eerie Shadows of War
The bomber, named Enola Gay, was nine kilometers above the ground when Little Boy was released. After 44.4 seconds, the bomb exploded 1,900 feet (579 meters) above the ground, making it even more damaging. The gun-type atomic bomb contained 141 pounds (64 kilograms) of uranium-235.
The blinding light emitted by the explosion is estimated to be 1,000 times brighter than the Sun and as hot as 7,232 degrees Fahrenheit (4,000 degrees Celsius). According to the World Nuclear Association, the blast was equivalent to 16,000 tonnes of TNT, which exploded and sent a pulse of thermal energy across the city.
On the morning of the horrifying event, the Sumitomo Bank was about to open. When the bomb was dropped, some of its employees were already inside, while others were still on their way to work. All 29 of the employees were killed instantly from the blast. One victim was sitting outside the Bank when the bombing happened. The blast shadow left of this person has become the most prominent of its kind.
Throughout the center of Hiroshima, countless haunting outlines appeared from window panes, valves, and even from people in their last seconds. The nuclear shadows of an obliterated city were etched on buildings and sidewalks. They serve as a gruesome reminder of everything that was lost in this unprecedented act of war.
How Were the Hiroshima Shadows Formed?
According to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Hiroshima shadows were not left by people alone. Any object in the way of the explosion was imprinted onto its background, including bicycles, water main valves, and ladders.
Even if there was nothing in the way, the heat still left imprints, such as the markings on the sides of the buildings. Depending on where these imprints were gone, the shadows have lasted several to dozens of years before they were eroded by rain and wind.
Yoshinori Obayashi, a volunteer who explains exhibits at the Atomic Bomb Museum, reported that visitors to the museum believe that the nuclear explosion instantly vaporized victims of the atomic bomb and that only the shadows were left behind. These myths arose, especially since thousands were declared missing and presumed dead in the months after the attack.
However, the shadows left at Hiroshima are not the vaporized remains of people killed in the blast. First of all, a lot of energy is needed to vaporize humans. According to Dr. Minako Otani from Hiroshima University, experts cannot determine how deep the heat rays have penetrated the body. Carbonized tissue or bones will remain even if the human body gets burned.
As the atomic bomb released its energy upon Hiroshima, it encountered objects on its path. Humans, animals, or inanimate objects absorbed this energy while the bomb's force went on to bleach the surrounding area. As a result, the imprint looks like a shadow, while in reality, it is just the surrounding area that has been dyed.
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