On August 6, 1945, nuclear weapons were first used. The United States dropped a military atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, and three days later Nagasaki was also bombed. Since then, every year on August 6, the world remembers this terrible tragedy.
At one time, the tragedy that played out in Japan shocked the whole world. About two hundred thousand people were declared dead or missing. About one hundred and sixty thousand were injured. Until now, the number of patients with leukemia and other cancers in the bombed areas exceeds the national average by several times. Every year, all over the world, events are held to remind everyone of the non-illusory threat of nuclear war.
Memorial Day is also celebrated in the United States - the culprit of the unfolding tragedy. Hundreds of people across the country take to the streets with placards calling to stop the proliferation and ban nuclear testing. Rallies are held near government offices and just on the streets. Among the demands of the demonstrators are slogans against the war in Iraq, as well as calls for world peace.
In addition, on 6 August, the "Doctors of the World for Peace" campaign is held annually. This initiative began in 1980, when the Doctors for the Prevention of Nuclear Threat, a subsidiary branch of Médecins Sans Frontières in France, split off from the famous Doctors Without Borders organization. Commemorative events organized by doctors on the day of the tragedy in Hiroshima are held in many European countries and the United States.
Traditionally, the USA apologizes to Japan on this day. In 2012, Daniel Truman, the grandson of President Harry Truman, who once ordered the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, arrived in Japan for a commemorative event on August 6. At eight fifteen in the morning, when bells begin to ring throughout the country, and the Japanese themselves bow their heads in mourning, the president's grandson took part in the ceremony. According to ordinary Japanese, the presence of a member of the Truman family was very important to them. By his arrival, Daniel made it clear that America is beginning to understand how much pain it caused the Japanese in 1945.
