NEWS · B2 Level - Part 6

A Somber Anniversary in Hiroshima

Today marks a somber milestone for a moment that changed the world forever. Exactly 80 years ago today, August 6th, 1945,

Level: B2 · 15 sentences

Transcript

  1. Today marks a somber milestone for a moment that changed the world forever.
  2. Exactly 80 years ago today, August 6th, 1945,
  3. an atomic bomb was used for the first time in warfare.
  4. The US dropped an atomic bomb on the port city of Hiroshima, Japan.
  5. 70,000 people were instantly killed.
  6. "The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima."
  7. Just days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki,
  8. killing an additional 40,000 plus.
  9. The bombings led Japan to unconditionally surrender, officially ending World War II.
  10. But they also ushered in the Cold War, another devastating chapter in world history.
  11. To this day, it remains the only time a country has ever used an atomic bomb in war.
  12. Overall estimates put the death toll in Hiroshima alone at more than 200,000 people,
  13. including deaths from radiation poisoning or long-term effects like cancer.
  14. Today, Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park stands at top the bustling commercial district,
  15. serving as a tribute to the victims and a stark reminder of the most destructive force ever created by mankind.