I Am Become Death, Destroyer of Worlds

It was on this day in 1945 that the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first time that a nuclear weapon was used in combat, only the second time that one had been exploded. It was an attack which led to the end of World War II.

JAPAN marked the 62nd anniversary of Hiroshima's atomic bombing with a solemn ceremony as the city's Mayor criticised the United States for refusing to give up its nuclear weapons program.

Tens of thousands of elderly survivors, children and dignitaries gathered at the Peace Memorial Park yesterday, near ground zero where the bomb was dropped, to remember the 250,000 people who died.