At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, killing approximately 140,000 men, women and children. Another 10,000 people died from radiation poisoning, and survivors suffered heat burns. Three days later, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, instantly killing some 40,000 people and several thousand more from radiation. Despite all these consequences, a major question still remains debated today. Was it moral to drop atomic bombs on Japan to save the lives of American soldiers? No, the problems created by the bomb far outweigh the gains due to the number of lives lost, it made the surrounding land uninhabitable and caused birth defects in future generations. One of the most immediate effects of the atomic bomb was its ability to kill. thousands in seconds and more over time. The blast, heat, and radiation from the Hiroshima bomb killed everything within a 20-mile radius. Killing 140,000 people on impact and another 10,000 over the weeks from radiation poisoning. Although the Nagasaki bomb killed almost half the number of victims, the damage left by the bomb cannot be denied. When the bomb exploded, an extremely high atmospheric pressure of several thousand atmospheres was created. This created a powerful shock wave and the wind blew at around 1,000 miles per hour. Thousands of people were killed by being thrown into the air or crushed by structures. The explosion shattered the windows, sending the panes flying through the air, penetrating deep into the victims' bodies. Radiation also played a role in the number of deaths caused by atomic bombs. Everyone within a kilometer of the explosion died from the initial radiation. Within 20 to 30 minutes of the explosion, thick black rain began to fall in the northwest. The rain contained radioactive soot and dust... middle of paper... wildlife was going to die. America's once-beautiful geography would now be unrecognizable. The creation of nuclear weapons and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima marked the beginning of a different America. Nuclear war played a major role in the changes that the United States faced during the 1940s and 1950s. It affected many aspects of life, some unchanging, but all devastating. Nuclear war not only affected the social and mental aspects of a person's life, but also the health and safety of Americans, the economy and government of the United States, and the geography of the country. People's lives have changed in every possible way, mostly negative. Americans had to learn quickly but slowly to adapt to the new changes around them. While living with the constant sensation of nuclear attack, Americans struggled every day to understand and prepare for the effects that would soon occur...