ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Okay kiddo, so imagine there are two big cities in Japan named Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A long time ago, during a big war, some very powerful bombs were dropped on these cities.

These bombs were called atomic bombs because they were made using tiny particles called atoms. Now, atoms are really small - so small that you can't even see them! When the bombs were dropped, they exploded and released a HUGE amount of energy. This energy destroyed almost everything in those cities - buildings, homes, and even people.

The bombing of Hiroshima happened on August 6, 1945. The bombing of Nagasaki happened 3 days later, on August 9, 1945. These were the first and only times that atomic bombs were used in a war.

The reason why these cities were bombed is because there was a big war going on between Japan and some other countries. The United States of America was one of those countries, and they wanted to end the war as soon as possible. They thought that if they dropped these atomic bombs, Japan would surrender and the war would be over.

After the bombings, many people were hurt or killed. A lot of buildings and homes were destroyed too. It was a very sad time for everyone involved.

In the end, Japan did surrender and the war eventually came to an end. But the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain a very important moment in history, and people still talk about them today.