62 years ago, the United States of America on August 6th 1945 dropped the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima and 3 days later on Nagasaki, effectively bringing an end to World War II.
The bomb killed around 80,000 people on the spot injuring another 35,000 while levelling the entire city within a matter of seconds. This is the worst instance of human massacre ever in recorded history in terms of speed and efficiency. Another 60,000 died from the nuclear fallout within a few months. Since that day (thankfully), an atomic bomb has never been employed in combat. During the cold war chances of a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union were always trumped by respective governments but besides the Cuban Missile Crisis, the nukes served as a deterrent rather than provocation.
Nuclear proliferation has ensured that multiple nations, including India, now possess these weapons. While the chances of nuclear weapons being used in international conflict is highly unlikely, what is worrisome is that some nations with an unstable political environment, like Pakistan, also possess these weapons. In North Korea, is another despotic regime that is suspected to be in possession of this technology. The lack of security for nuclear weapons in some breakaway former Soviet Republics like Ukraine combined with the rise of international terrorism in the past decade is perhaps the single biggest nuclear threat to the civilized world today, cue The Sum Of All Fears.
What do our readers think about nuclear weapons in general? Are they a necessary evil? Is it ok for nations like India and (especially) Pakistan to possess these terrible weapons? Is it not a big deal for India and Pakistan to have these weapons since they mostly serve as deterrent?
Uber Trivia:
- The pilot of Enola Gay, Paul Tibbets, was posted as military attaché in India but was withdrawn after all political parties protested his posting. (via Wiki)
- Sidhu points us to this amazing story of Japanese soldier, Miyoji Yamane, who survived both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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