"NOTHING WAS THE SAME AFTER AUGUST 6 1945"

FIRST ATOMIC BOMB DROPPED ON HIROSHIMA 80 YEARS AGO 

Hiroshima, Japan (JFK+50) On August 6, 1945, 80 years ago today, the world entered the Atomic Age as the United States dropped the first Atomic Bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima*. 

The bomb exploded over the city killing "up to 140,000 people" with more to die from "the effects of fallout and radiation."  Jim Beckerman of USA Today writes that "nothing was the same after August 6, 1945," and the day marks "history's greatest dividing line."  

One of Beckerman's sources is the recent book by Susan Southard, "Nagasaki:  Life After Nuclear War."  An interesting fact she brings out is that "of the 74,000 deaths initially counted in Nagasaki (the second atomic bomb dropped 3 days after Hiroshima), only 150 were military personnel." 

Beckerman says that today there are 9600 nuclear warheads "ready for use."

JFK+50 NOTE

Oak Ridge, Tennessee played a vital role in the Manhattan Project "by developing and producing enriched uranium for the 1st atomic bombs."  On the cover of today's Knoxville News-Sentinel is a reprint of an Extra Edition of the newspaper dated August 6, 1945.  The article, cited below, says that "Oak Ridge has over 425 buildings" including K-25 & Y-12.  Oak Ridge did not exist as a city before WWII.  It was selected for the project because of its isolated location, access to electric power (TVA) & proximity to a major city, Knoxville.

*Hiroshima, Japan, located on Honshu Island, was founded in 1589 as a castle town.  Rebuilt after WWII, the city today has a population of 1,199,351.  It is a major industrial city with automobile production, ship building & electronics.  It is the headquarters of MAZDA.

SOURCES

"Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org/

"Atomic Super-Bomb, Made At Oak Ridge, Strikes Japan," by Charles Coleman, United Press Staff Correspondent, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Second Extra Edition, August 6, 1945.

"80 Years ago, A-bomb split history," by Jim Beckerman, USA Today Network--New Jersey, Knoxville News-Sentinel, August 6, 2025, www.knoxnews.com/

Photo of Hiroshima After A-Bomb

National Archives (1945)

NARA Photo-PD

HIROSHIMA

ATOMIC BOMB BLASTED HIROSHIMA AUGUST 6 1945

Hiroshima, Japan (JFK+50) Sixty-nine years ago today, August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.

The development of the atomic bomb came as a result of the Manhattan Project initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt who died on April 12, 1945 leaving the final decision on using the atomic weapon with his successor.

It was estimated that the radius of total destruction extended 1 mile with 69% of the city's buildings destroyed. 70,000 to 80,000 people were killed with 170,000 more injured.

President Harry S Truman issued the following statement in his announcement of the use of the atomic bomb on Japan:

"If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like which has never been seen on this earth."

Hiroshima Peace Bell

by Surgeonsmate
en.wikipedia.com

COCONUT MESSAGE SAVED THE DAY FOR JFK

Naru Island (JFK+50) Seventy-one years ago today, August 6, 1943, Lt. John F. Kennedy paddled back to his men on Olasana in a dugout canoe.  Barney Ross, who remained asleep, swam over later.

JFK, according to Robert Donovan, decided to send the two friendly natives, Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana, with a message to the PT Base.

Without paper or a writing instrument, Lt. Kennedy...

 "picked up a coconut and had Biuku quarter it."

JFK then...

"took his sheath knife and on a polished quarter of the coconut he inscribed the following message to the PT base commander:

'NAURO ISL - COMMANDER - NATIVE KNOWS POSIT - HE CAN PILOT - 11 ALIVE - NEED SMALL BOAT- KENNEDY'"

JFK had the coconut encased in plastic.  It was displayed on his desk in the Oval Office at the White House.  Today it can be seen at the JFK Library.

Dave Powers, Presidential assistant and later curator, said that it was the most important object in the library because without it, all the rest would have never been possible.

JFK's Coconut Message Paperweight

JFK Library Photo

The natives hastened to Rendova Harbor 38 miles distant with the coconut message...soon help would finally be on the way to the survivors of PT109.

SOURCE

"PT 109, John F. Kennedy in WWII," by Robert J. Donovan, McGraw-Hill Publishers, New York, 1961, 2001.




VOTING RIGHTS ACT SIGNED INTO LAW BY LBJ 

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law 49 years ago today, August 6, 1965.

The Voting Rights Act prohibits discriminatory voting practices which had been adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests, as a prerequisite to voting.

Attending the signing ceremony were civil rights leaders and activists including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.

By the end of 1965, 250,000 new black voters had been registered, one-third by federal examiners.

SOURCE

www.ourdocuments.gov

LBJ Congratulates Civil Rights Leaders

Signing of the Voting Rights Act

Photo by Yoichi R. Okamoto

COCONUT SAVED THE DAY FOR JFK AND CREW

August 6, 2013

COCONUT SAVED THE DAY FOR JFK AND CREW

Naru Island (JFK+50) Seventy years ago today, August 6, 1943, Lt. John F. Kennedy paddled back to his men on Olasana in a dugout canoe.  Barney Ross, who remained asleep, swam over later.

JFK, according to Robert Donovan, decided to send the two friendly natives, Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana, with a message to the PT Base.

Without paper or a writing instrument, Lt. Kennedy...

 "picked up a coconut and had Biuku quarter it."

JFK then...

"took his sheath knife and on a polished quarter of the coconut he inscribed the following message to the PT base commander:

'NAURO ISL - COMMANDER - NATIVE KNOWS POSIT - HE CAN PILOT - 11 ALIVE - NEED SMALL BOAT- KENNEDY'"

   Toy Replica of Coconut Shell Message
                With "JFK" GI Joe Toy
           Photo by John White (2013)

JFK had the coconut encased in plastic.  It was displayed on his desk in the Oval Office at the White House.  Today it can be seen at the JFK Library.

Dave Powers, Presidential assistant and later curator, said that it was the most important object in the library because without it, all the rest would have never been possible.

JFK's Coconut Message Paperweight
                 JFK Library Photo


The natives hastened to Rendova Harbor 38 miles distant with the coconut message...soon help would finally be on the way to the survivors of PT109.

SOURCE

"PT 109, John F. Kennedy in WWII," by Robert J. Donovan, McGraw-Hill Publishers, New York, 1961, 2001.



ATOMIC BOMB DROPPED ON HIROSHIMA, JAPAN 68 YEARS AGO TODAY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President Harry S. Truman announced 68 years ago today, August 6, 1945, that the United States of America, at war with the Japanese Empire since December 8, 1941, had dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima in Japan.

The development of the atomic bomb came as a result of the Manhattan Project initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt who died on April 12, 1945 leaving the final decision on using atomic weapons with his successor.

The A-bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay, a B-29 piloted by Paul Tibbets*.

                 Paul Tibbets*
      Waves Prior to Bombing

Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. (1915-2007) was born in Illinois and moved with his family to Miami, Florida as a youth.  He graduated from Western Military Academy in 1933 and attended the Universities of Florida and Cincinnati.

Tibbets enlisted in the US Army and qualified for the Aviation Cadet Program.

After being selected for the Manhattan Project, Tibbets named his B29 bomber 'Enola Gay' in honor of his mother.

Tibbets became a USAF Brigadier General in 1964 and retired from the service in 1987.  Two years before his death, he told the BBC...

"I'm not emotional....I did the job and I was so relieved that it was successful."

                 BGEN Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.
             Photo by MSGT Jim Varhegyi
              Dept of Defense Image (2003)

The bomb detonated 1900 feet above the city at 8:15 a.m. local time.

It was estimated that the radius of total destruction extended 1 mile with 69% of the city's buildings destroyed.

70,000 to 80,000 people were killed with 170,000 more injured.

President Truman issued the following statement in his announcement of the use of the atomic bomb on Japan:

"If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like which has never been seen on this earth."

                Ruins of Hiroshima 
                        August 1945



VOTING RIGHTS ACT SIGNED INTO LAW BY LBJ 

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law 48 years ago today, August 6, 1965.

The Voting Rights Act prohibits discriminatory voting practices which had been adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests, as a prerequisite to voting.

Attending the signing ceremony were civil rights leaders and activists including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.

By the end of 1965, 250,000 new black voters had been registered, one-third by federal examiners.

SOURCE

 www.ourdocuments.gov

LBJ Congratulates Civil Rights Leaders
      Signing of the Voting Rights Act
          Photo by Yoichi R. Okamoto

US DROPS ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA

August 6, 1945


US DROPS ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA


Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President Harry S. Truman announced today the United States has dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima in Japan.


The development of the atomic bomb came as a result of the Manhattan Project initiated by the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt.


The A-bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay, a B-29 piloted by Paul Tibbets.

                 Paul Tibbets
      Waves Prior to Bombing*


*Tibbets, from Nashville, Tennessee, named the B29 for his mother.


The bomb detonated 1900 feet above the city at 8:15 a.m. local time.


It is estimated that the radius of total destruction extended 1 mile with 69% of the city's buildings destroyed.


70,000 to 80,000 people are believed to be dead with 170,000 more injured.


President Truman issued the following statement in his announcement of the use of the atomic bomb on Japan:


"If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like which has never been seen on this earth."

                Ruins of Hiroshima 
                        August 1945


August 6, 1943


JFK CARVES MESSAGE ON COCONUT


Cross Island, Solomon Islands (JFK+50) Lt. John F. Kennedy along with 2 friendly natives named Biuku Gasa & Eroni Kumana canoed to Cross Island today to pick up Barney Ross.


Lt. Kennedy picked up a coconut & with his knife carved a message & asked the natives to take it to the coastwatcher on Wana Wana.


The message reads:


"Nauro Isl - Commander - Native Knows Posit - He Can Pilot - 11 Alive - Need Small Boat - Kennedy"*


*JFK had the coconut made into a paperweight & it was used on his desk at the White House.  Today it can be seen at the JFK Library.


Dave Powers said that it was the most important object in the library because without it, all the rest would have never been possible.

JFK's Coconut Message Paperweight
                 JFK Library Photo


August 6, 1962


SOVIETS EXPLODE 30 MEGATON BOMB


Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) The United States government announced today that the Soviet Union has detonated a 30 megaton atomic bomb above the Arctic Ocean.


Ironically, today marks the 17th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.


August 6, 1965


LBJ SIGNS VOTING RIGHTS ACT


Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 today which outlaws discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests, as a prerequisite to voting.*


Attending the signing ceremony were civil rights leaders & activists including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Rosa Parks.*


*By the end of 1965, 250,000 new black voters had been registered, 1/3 by federal examiners.


source: www.ourdocuments.gov

LBJ Congratulates Civil Rights Leaders
      Signing of the Voting Rights Act
          Photo by Yoichi R. Okamoto


August 6, 1926


GERTRUDE EDERLE BECOMES THE FIRST WOMAN TO SWIM THE ENGLISH CHANNEL


Dover, England (JFK+50) Gertrude Ederle, a 21 year old American swimmer who won the gold medal at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, became the 1st woman in history today to swim the English Channel.


Ederle, born in New York City, completed the swim from Cape Griz-Nez in France to Dover, England in 14 hours & 31 minutes.

        
                    Gertrude Ederle
            German Federal Archive
                               1930


August 6, 1915


ANZAC FORCES LAND AT SUVLA BAY


Suvla Bay, Aegean Sea (JFK+50) Australian & New Zealand Army Corps forces made landings today under Sir Frederick Stopford at Suvla Bay on the Aegean Sea.

              
                         Suvla Bay
          German Federal Archive


The attack, made against German & Turkish forces on the Gallipoli peninsula, resulted in nearly 20,000 Allied casualties.*


*The term "ANZAC" originated with the landings at Suvla Bay.  Later when Aussie soldiers were fighting in France, they became known as "Diggers".

   FOR THE FALLEN:  THE ODE
     by Laurence Binyon (1914)


They went with songs to the Battle
They were young, Straight of Limb,
True of eyes, steady & aglow,
They were staunch to the end
against odds uncounted.
They fell with their faces to the foe
They shall not grow old
As we are left to grow old
Age shall not weary them
Nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We will remember-Lest we forget.




source: www.gruntsview.org