August 9, 2010

New Photos Revealed on 65th Anniversary of Hiroshima/Nagasaki

It was 65 years ago this weekend that atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  In commemoration of the anniversary, LIFE.com has posted some never-before-published photos of the unique devastation visited upon those cities where the combined death toll was more than 100,000.  Taken by LIFE staffers Alfred Eisenstadt (who is famous for the V-E photo of the sailor in Times Square) and Bernard Hoffman, these pictures are a sobering reminder of the power and danger of nuclear weapons.  


This year for the first time, a US representative was on hand in Hiroshima for ceremonies marking the dropping of the atomic bomb.  Ambassador John Ross was welcomed by Hiroshima's mayor for the event.  It's somewhat surprising to me that's it taken us this long to have someone on hand for the anniversary.  But the wounds of war and the scars of this particular atrocity still run deep.



No comments:

Post a Comment