How Did One Man Survive Both Atomic Bombs in World War II?

• Tsutomu Yamaguchi was a business traveler.
• Hiroshima was bombed on August 6, 1945.
• Nagasaki was bombed on August 9, 1945.
• He was nearly 2 miles from both blasts.
• He lived to be 93 years old.

The second World War lasted for many years and involved countries across the globe. By the summer of 1945, Germany had already surrendered to the Allied forces. However, Japan continued to fight in the Pacific theater of the war. American leaders wanted to end the conflict as quickly as possible to save more lives. They decided to use a powerful new weapon called the atomic bomb. This decision changed the history of warfare forever. No other nation had ever created or used such a destructive weapon before. These two strikes on Japan remain the only time atomic bombs were ever used in a real battle.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi was a man living in Japan during the final months of the war. On August 6, 1945, he was visiting the city of Hiroshima for his job. He was walking to the shipyard when an American plane flew high above the city. A bright flash filled the sky like a second sun. The blast knocked him to the ground and caused serious burns on his body. He spent that night in a shelter before deciding to return to his home in Nagasaki. He arrived in his hometown on August 9, 1945. He went to his office to explain the scary events to his boss. While he was telling his story, a second bomb exploded over the city of Nagasaki. The shockwave hit the building and shattered the glass windows around him. He quickly dove to the floor to protect himself from the flying debris. Once again, the intense heat and pressure destroyed everything nearby. He managed to survive this second blast without receiving major new injuries. He stayed in the city and lived a long life after the war finally ended.

His story shows how terrible atomic bombs were for people on the ground. It remains a famous reminder of the cost of the war.

• United States Army Air Forces
• Japanese civilians
• Hiroshima emergency responders
• Nagasaki emergency responders

• 1.National Archives
• 2.BBC History
• 3.The New York Times
• 4.Imperial War Museum