Chapter One: Atomic Bomb and Radiation Summary and Analysis

Japan was engaged in the Second World War between 1941 and 1945. In the latter part of 1945, the war was coming to an end. The Axis Powers, Germany, Italy and Japan, were all facing defeat. Japan's major cities were being firebombed by B-29 bombers. The firebombs spread fire across large expanses of terrain destroying everything in its path. Most houses were made of wood and caught on fire like tinder boxes. But if that wasn't enough, scientists in the US were putting the final touches on the development of the first atomic bomb. The three cities chosen for the first bombing were Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Kokura. They were all manufacturing centers for military equipment. The atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima caused widespread radiation. Sadako Sasaki was two years old when the...