Dawn of the Nuclear Age: The Bombing of Hiroshima And Nagasaki

70 years later, the Second World War still haunts the Japanese people. The younger generations seek to understand why both camps adopted such a hard line. They are shedding light on the past by conducting their own excavations, questioning witnesses and consulting photographs. They are finding new tunnels, new wrecks and objects that belonged to soldiers and civilians. The film takes the form of a scientific investigation. In it, we invite you to discover the hidden traces of this past conflict with the help of archaeologists who, seventy years later, are unearthing hidden remains

This classic, unforgettable film features the first film footage shot following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The viewer becomes an eyewitness to the bomb's aftermath, literally walking through the rubble and hospitals jammed with dying people. In August 1945 a Japanese filmmaker, Akira Iwasaki, who was jailed by the Japanese government during WW II for his antiwar beliefs, documented the effects of this new weapon. With only black and white film available, he recorded stark and often simple, but telling images of the vast destruction, such as the shadows of leaves, flowers and other objects burned onto stone. The footage was classified secret by the U.S. government and not made public until 1970 when it was obtained by Erik Barnouw of Columbia University, who produced the film from several hours of footage, adding a factual, understated narration, letting the images largely speak for themselves.

This powerful video features a comprehensive examination of one of the most important, yet little-understood episodes in modern history - the several months leading up to the atomic bombings of Japan, which both ended World War II and shaped the world's geo-political landscape for the next 50 years. To compel Japan's unconditional surrender, President Truman threatened a "rain of ruin," culminating in the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. RAIN OF RUIN investigates the key political and military motivations for the atomic bombings, especially the Nagasaki bombing. Did Japan finally surrender because of the atomic bombs or were there other reasons? Was the bomb’s true aim to make an impression on Stalin? And, why did the Soviet Union enter the Pacific War on the very date Nagasaki was bombed? Top historical scholars present and discuss the principal theories, revealing the bombing to be a more complex historical event than commonly believed. The program draws on previously unpublished and declassified documents from the U.S., Japanese and Soviet archives, as well as remarkable film footage.

In 1942, the United States government embarked upon an endeavor it hoped would put a quick and definite end to World War II. Under extraordinary secrecy and with unlimited funds, the top scientists of the day were brought together to work on the Manhattan Project - and on August 6, 1945, three years of technological advancements were exploded above Hiroshima in the form of a uranium-fission bomb. This episode of Tech Effect profiles the technology surrounding that fateful moment. The advanced B-29 bomber, the sophisticated Norden bombsight, Mamiya and K-20 aerial cameras, telemetry canisters, and even Teflon have a place in this grim yet remarkable story.