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Bound by the bomb

Tri-Cities, Nagasaki and the birth of the Atomic Age

On Aug. 9, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, effectively ending World War II.

That moment forever linked Nagasaki and Hanford, where the plutonium for Fat Man was manufactured.

Fifty years later, on Aug. 6, 1995, the Tri-City Herald published a special section looking back at the bomb, Nagasaki and Hanford.

Introduction

The mission: Murphy's Law plagues B-29

Bock's Car delivers despite glitches

Element 94: Does it exist?

Humble beginnings in a test tube

Plutonium 239 production a 2-step process at Hanford

What's in a name? Plenty for plutonium

Atom splitting: Test tube to Trinity

Hanford a vital stop on bomb's long trip

Bock's Car crew broke new ground on Nagasaki mission

Countdown: It's a go

War official's choice: Nagasaki

Truman had no doubts about bomb

Bock's Car pilot flew both A-bomb strikes

Shipyard key to choice for second bomb site

Nagasaki relatively untouched before bombing

Death of a city: Tales of survival

'It all seems like a terrible nightmare now'

'A blinding flash of light filled the sky'

'I spurred myself to stay alive'

'The stench became so strong I could hardly breathe'

Survivor keeps reminder of destruction

Moral dilemma: Was there any option?

'America was right,' says Korean slave in Nagasaki

POW says Nagasaki bomb saved his life

Scientists, survivors, veterans debate bomb's morality

The veterans: No more bloody battles

'It was a proud moment'

'An invasion was going to be bloody'

'We didn't want to do it again'

'All I could think of then was hallelujah'

The legacy: Great promise, great problems

News of war's end relieves U.S.

Bomb sprouted Tri-Cities out of desert sand

Atoms shape an age

The legacy: The scars linger

Destroyed city rises from ashes

Survivor plagued by health problems

Bomb's ghost lingers, haunts former mayor

Prayers help deliver Nagasaki