On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb, this time on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. The blast killed tens of thousands of people and destroyed much of the city’s infrastructure. Coming just days after Hiroshima, the attack added pressure on Japan’s leaders to surrender. The bombings, combined with Soviet entry into the war against Japan, led to Japan’s announcement of surrender soon afterward. Nagasaki’s destruction further underscored the human cost of nuclear warfare. The event remains central to discussions of ethics, strategy, and international law.
