Then and Now: Photos of Hiroshima After the Bombing, And Today
70 years ago the United States dropped the first atomic bomb, nicknamed Little Boy, on Hiroshima, Japan killing 140,000 of its 350,000 citizens. Three days later, a second bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki, forcing Japan to surrender and brining World War II to an end.
Here are photos taken after the bombing of Hiroshima, capturing the scarred landscape of the ruined city and photos showing what the place has become today.
This photo,,dated 1945 shows the devastated city of Hiroshima after the first bomb was dropped.
Photo: Str/AFP/Getty Images
A general view of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, August 5, 2015, Hiroshima, Japan. After the city recovered from the atomic bombing, a memorial was constructed near the center of the blast point, including a museum and some monuments.
Photo: Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images News/Getty Images
A view of a tram car destroyed after the nuclear blast in 1945; a tram car on May 26, 2016.
Photo: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Teikoku Bank following the bombing in August 1945 and the building's current status as a bakery in 2016.
Photo: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images News/Getty Images
This digital composite shows the trees near the Hiroshima Castle right after the bombing in 1945, and on May 26, 2016. The same trees still stand today, burnt but able to regrow.
Photo: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images News/Getty Images
The Inaribashi Bridge right after the bombing in 1945, and the same bridge of May 26, 2016.
Photo: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Hiroshima Station as seen right after the atomic bombing in August, 1945 and on May 26, 2016.
Photo: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Hiroshima is seen from the sky after the atomic bombing in 1945.
Photo: Keystone-france/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images
A high view of the rebuilt Hiroshima is seen during the morning and at night in 2016.
Photo: Martin Child/Photodisc/Getty Images
Photo: Martin Child/Photodisc/Getty Images
The gutted Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall – now known as the A-Bomb Dome or the Hiroshima Peace Memorial – after the bombing on 6 August 1945, and the same location near Aioi Bridge in 2015.
Photo: Toshio Kawamoto/Yoshio Kawamoto/Reuters/Issei Kato
The etched outline of a passerby that was imprinted on the Yorozuyo Bridge after the heat of the bomb. This was 860 metres from the centre of the blast; the asphalt was scorched everywhere except the light area, which was shielded by their body. Today, the bridge has been tiled over.
Photo: Toshio Kawamoto/Yoshio Kawamoto/Reuters/Issei Kato
Residents walk near Aioi Bridge in Hiroshima, October 1945, and the bridge today.
Photo: Toshio Kawamoto/Yoshio Kawamoto/Reuters/Issei Kato
People walk past the A-Bomb Dome on the Aioi Bridge. Today, cyclists cross the bridge.
Photo: Toshio Kawamoto/Yoshio Kawamoto/Reuters/Issei Kato
The shadows of railings cast on the Yorozuyo Bridge road by the heat of the bomb.
The ruins of Nagasaki Medical College after the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, three days later.
Photo: Toshio Kawamoto/Yoshio Kawamoto/Reuters/Issei Kato
The Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, which was obliterated on 9 August. The replacement was built in 1959.
Photo: Toshio Kawamoto/Yoshio Kawamoto/Reuters/Issei Kato
The south face of Urakami Cathedral in 1945 – and the rebuilt cathedral.
Photo: Toshio Kawamoto/Yoshio Kawamoto/Reuters/Issei Kato
The ruins of the Shiroyama National School in Nagasaki, and the same road today.
Photo: Toshio Kawamoto/Yoshio Kawamoto/Reuters/Issei Kato
