The atomic bomb was developed in secret by the United States during World War II in what was known as the Manhattan Project.
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President Harry S. Truman made the decision to use the new weapon against Japan.
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The primary motivation was to force Japan's unconditional surrender and avoid a massive, costly invasion of the Japanese home islands.
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On August 6, 1945, the B-29 bomber 'Enola Gay' dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.
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The bomb immediately killed an estimated 80,000 people, with tens of thousands more dying later from radiation sickness and injuries.
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When Japan did not surrender, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.
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The bombings, combined with the Soviet Union's declaration of war on Japan on the same day, led Emperor Hirohito to support surrender.
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Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945, officially ending World War II.
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The use of the atomic bomb remains one of the most controversial decisions in military history.
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The bombings ushered in the nuclear age and the new realities of the Cold War.
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