A Fiery Grave ( The Dropping Of The Atomic Bomb ) Essay, Research Paper

The atomic bomb was developed in numerous places, however the bulk of it was created in Los Alomos. Los Alomos is a small town in New Mexico. Before the research began, there stood a small all-boys Catholic school. After months of low flying planes, armed marine surveillance and many interrogations about the area, the school received a notice that said the school would be knocked down for government use. Two months after the destruction of the school, there stood a huge top-secret research facility that no one was quite sure what it used for where a small school had once been. The facility was so secretive, there was a sign posted outside that said ?What you see here, What you do here, What you hear here, Let it stay here.? (Wheeler 24)

Another research facility that played a major role in the production of the atomic bomb was a large lab in Manhattan where the Manhattan Project took place. Here they tested the power of Uranium and Plutonium. With this research, they could plan out the effectiveness of the bomb used in Hiroshima. Without the Manhattan Project, the U.S would have no clue about the power of Plutonium and Uranium. The researchers and scientists worked day in and day out trying to successfully harness nuclear energy. Albert Einstein helped with the Manhattan Project by using his theory that E=MC2 also proved to be helpful in the development of the atom bomb.

To test the power of an atomic explosion, the United States Government came up with explosive devices that were equal to the power of the atomic bomb. These tests were some of the best kept secrets of World War II.

The first experiment was a test in which scientists would drop Uranium slugs into piles of radioactive materials. When a pure Uranium hits radioactive material it could very easily cause a nuclear explosion. This project was so dangerous, they called it ?Tickling the dragon?s tail.?

Another test to determine the power of the atomic bomb was a test that involved over fifty tons of T.N.T, a highly explosive material. The plan for this experiment was to take the T.N.T out to the middle of the desert and detonate it. When they put the T.N.T into the crates, they added plutonium rods so they could see the effects of a radioactive fallout. When they detonated the bomb, it was easily seen over sixty miles away.

The entire time these tests were going on, the Germans were trying to unlock the key to atomic energy. The United States was aware of the situation so they sent spies to Germany. These spies? missions were to watch German nuclear advancements and then report their findings back to the United States.

Moe Berg was a famous catcher for the New York Yankees during the time of nuclear developments in the United States. What his fans didn?t know was that he was also a nuclear spy sent to Germany to spy on Germany?s nuclear advancements. His mission was to go to Edward Heisberg?s, a German nuclear physicist, lecture on nuclear energy. If Heisberg even hinted he knew anything about the United states development of atomic bombs, Berg was to kill him. Berg attended the lecture. Luckily Heisberg never mentioned anything about American nuclear bombs. No one knew about Berg?s secret life until it was declassified long after the war had ended.

The plans for the dropping of the atomic bomb were very complex. The United States had come up with six different locations for the dropping of the atomic bomb. These locations were: The Kokura Arsenal- a large port city that produced most of Japan?s planes. Nigiita- a city that had a very large population and would contain radiation well. Hiroshima- A large city in which Japanese ships were made Emperor?s palace- This was an alternative that would only be used to show the aggressiveness and superiority of the United States. It was in a bad location that would not hold radiation well. Nagasaki- This was a port city that produced artillery. It had a large population and held radiation well. Kyoto- It had a large population and would hold radiation well which would lead to more effective incineration and destruction.

The main tool in the dropping of the atomic bomb was the Enola Gay. The Enola Gay was a huge B-29 bomber designed to carry the weight of the bomb and to survive through the shockwave. Enola Gay was the pilot?s mother?s name.

The first atomic bomb ever dropped was dropped on Hiroshima on August 5, 1945 at 8:16am. This bomb, coincidentally named ?Little Boy.?

This bomb released a huge amount of radiation which caused people to melt,

incinerate and suffer through radiation poisoning. This bomb also caused

buildings to collapse, houses to burn and cars to explode. This bomb was so

horrible one lady said ?My friend took up seven skeletons at a time, his five

children, his wife and his mother. We soldiers were the ones that were

supposed to die.? (Akiamatsu 53) This bomb was truly a device for one

purpose, to wipe out an entire civilization.

The average annual radiation intake in a human body is 0.01 rads of

radiation. If you were within 100 meters of the bomb?s neutron rays you

would absorb 33.1 rads of radiation. If you were within 500 meters of the

bomb?s neutron rays you would absorb 6.04 rads of radiation. If you were

within 1,000 meters of the bomb?s neutron rays you would absorb 0.227 rads

of radiation.

The effects of radiation on the human body is horrible. Twenty-five

rads of radiation would put a person in a coma and kill you within hours.

Ten rads of radiation would destroy a person?s bone marrow, give them

radiation sickness, killing them within thirty days. One rad of radiation

would make a person extremely nauseous and make them vomit. One-tenth

of a rad of radiation would change a person?s bone marrow structure.

After the dropping of the atomic bomb, Hiroshima was nothing like

it had been. Where once stood tall buildings lay ashes. The only thing left

partially standing was the Ai Noi bridge, the original ground zero for the atom

bomb. Due to wind and miscalculations, the bomb was dropped on a

hospital. For years, crops couldn?t be planted because of the radiation

soaked soil. Still today things aren?t the same in Hiroshima.

Even today we live in a world which faces nuclear threats. Some

people say that the bombing of Hiroshima was the start of the Cold War. The

Cold War is an arms race between the U.S and The former USSR

Many times during the cold war were we faced with the possibilities of

having a nuclear holocaust on American soil. Luckily, the cold war is over,

but we still have many nuclear enemies.

Our biggest nuclear threat right now is China. At one time China

didn?t even have the capabilities of producing nuclear weapons of mass

destruction. Recently the U.S sold top-secret plans for nuclear weapons to

China. After they had made them they were considered a nuclear threat to

the United States.