Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Shortly before the end of World War II, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively, killing 129,000–226,000 people according to different estimates, most of whom were civilians, and causing various long-term harmful effects from the radiation. These bombings remain the only use of nuclear weapons.
In politically correct descriptions, the bombings by the USAAF are justified by claiming that an invasion of Japan would have caused more casualties. Revisionist views include that Japan was already ready to capitulate and that main purpose of the bombings was to intimidate the Soviet Union in the early stages of the Cold War. Other less often mentioned aspects include that the Allied conventional bombings (e.g. Bombing of Germany during World War II) and naval blockade caused far more civilian deaths than the atomic bombings.
