Hiroshima horrors endure through memorial and survivors

What was previously scorched rubble is now Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. The world's first atomic bomb used as a weapon of war was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, killing around half of the city's population of 350,000. Almost everything within a 2,000-meter (6,500-foot) radius was incinerated. Three days after the tragedy, another atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki.

This artist is performing a dance in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, as part of the ceremonies marking the 79th anniversary of the tragedy. Every year, August 6 is commemorated not only to honor all the unidentified innocent victims of the attack, but as a reminder of the devastating impact of nuclear bombs and the need to free the world from such weapons of mass destruction.

Located in the Peace Park created in the aftermath of the war, the museum designed by Kenzo Tange opened its doors in 1955. Renovated in 2019, it highlights testimonies of survivors, known as the "hibakusha," and offers public talks where they share their stories. The museum offers a virtual reenactment of the moment the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, seen here.

The museum displays objects in their original state that bear witness to the violence of the explosion, including the clothes that people wore, the bags that they carried and the daily necessities that were in their homes.

The violence of the explosion is illustrated through objects such as this burned tricycle belonging to 3-year-old Shinichi Tetsuya. It was first buried with the boy's remains, then dug up by his father who wanted to convey the horror of nuclear weapons.

Sadako Sasaki's parents bequeathed a number of accessories that once belonged to the little girl to the museum. Sasaki, exposed to radiation at the age of 2, later died of leukemia. A statue of "genbaku no ko no zo" — literally "Statue of the Children of the Atomic Bomb" — is displayed at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima City. The model of the statue is Sasaki, who became an icon for peace.

Sadae Kasaoka was at home, 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) from the hypocenter of the explosion, when the atomic bomb fell. "I saw in the sky the color of the rising sun, and a loud roaring sound. The window broke, shattering into pieces that came flying toward me," she remembers. In 2005, after years of silence, she became part of Hiroshima City's survivors' and successors' program.

This drawing, made by student Minami Ogawa from Hiroshima, is based on the accounts of survivor Sadae Kasaoka and is used in her presentation to illustrate her story. The 12-year-old Kasaoka lost her parents in the bombing. Her father came home severely burned, and she couldn’t recognize him. He died two days later.

Genbaku Dome, near Memorial Park, was the only structure left standing after the bomb exploded. It has remained a symbol of the terror and destructive force of nuclear weapons. In 1996, it was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.