Every August, the four days of the 6th through the 9th ring like a mournful bell in the memories of many.  The first atomic bomb in history was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, at 8:15 in the morning, Monday, August 6, 1945.

The radius of total destruction was about one mile (1.6 km), with resulting fires across 4.4 square miles (11 km²).^[67]Americans estimated that 4.7 square miles (12 km²) of the city were destroyed. Japanese officials determined that 69% of Hiroshima’s buildings were destroyed and another 6–7% damaged.^[68]

Some 70,000–80,000 people, or some 30% of the population of Hiroshima were killed by the blast and resultant firestorm,^[69] and another 70,000 injured.^[70] Over 90% of the doctors and 93% of the nurses in Hiroshima were killed or injured—most had been in the downtown area which received the greatest damage.^{[71] [wikipedia]}

The second, and last atomic bomb ever dropped in a war, exploded over Nagasaki, a back-up target because of clouds over the primary target, Kokura, at 11:01, Thursday, August 9.

The resulting explosion had a blast yield equivalent to 21 kilotons of TNT (88 TJ).^[94] The explosion generated heat estimated at 3,900 °C (7,050 °F) and winds that were estimated at 1,005 km/h (624 mph).

Casualty estimates for immediate deaths range from 40,000 to 75,000.^[95][96][97] Total deaths by the end of 1945 may have reached 80,000.^[1] … The radius of total destruction was about 1 mile (1.6 km), followed by fires across the northern portion of the city to 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the bomb.  [wikipedia]

There is little public remembrance of these two events in the United States these days.  But the wonderful KPFA listener supported radio station, on its Across the Great Divide, Sunday show, had a song compilation that surprised me in its extent.

You can both listen and see the play list here.  And drop ’em a dime, fer pete’s sake.  No one does stuff like this on other radio stations.

These are just a few:

Pete Seeger	Never Again The A Bomb	We Shall Overcome	Columbia
Malvina Reynolds	What Have They Done To The Rain	Ear To The Ground	smithsonian folkways
Stringband	New Talking Atom Blues	The Indispensable	Nick

Cross posted at The Last Dog Watch