The first atomic bomb dropped during WWII, nicknamed "Little Boy", was detonated 2,000 feet over Hiroshima, Japan on August 6th, 1945. The bomb was dropped by the "Enola Gay", a Boeing B-29 bomber, and dropped almost 6 miles in 43 seconds before detonating 2,000 feet over a surgical clinic in Hiroshima. The bomber was piloted by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets Jr. and Captain Robert A. Lewis. The explosion had the force of 15,000 tons of TNT, and created a blinding flash of heat and light that killed people over half a mile away from the explosion point. In less than a second after detonation, the ground temperature reached 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The bomb killed roughly 80,000 people in the first few minutes, and thousands of other people later from radiation sickness. INTERESTING FACT: Japanese citizen Tsutomu Yamaguchi is the only person recognized by the Japanese government for surviving both atomic bombings in Japan during WWII. He died in 2011 from unrelated illnesses.
