Today in History-August 6
The bomb has caused widespread devastation at Hiroshima1945: US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima
England have The SScreen The first atomic bomb has been dropped by a United
States aircraft on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
President Harry S Truman, announcing the news from the cruiser, Augusta, in
the mid-Atlantic, said the device contained 20,000 tons of TNT and was more than
2,000 times more powerful than the largest bomb used to date.
An accurate assessment of the damage caused has so far been impossible due
to a huge cloud ofimpenetrabledust covering the target. Hiroshima is one of the
chief supply depots for the Japanese army.
The bomb was dropped from an American B-29 Superfortress, known as Enola
Gay, at 0815 local time. The plane's crew say they saw a column of smoke rising
and intense fires springing up.
We found the Japanese in our locality were not eager to befriend us - after
all, they had not long ago had the most fearful weapon of all time dropped on
their doorstep.
The President said the atomic bomb heralded the "harnessing of the basic
power of the universe". It also marked a victory over the Germans in the race to
be first to develop a weapon using atomic energy.
President Truman went on to warn the Japanese the Allies would completely
destroy their capacity to make war.
The Potsdam declaration issued 10 days ago, which called for the
unconditional surrender of Japan, was a last chance for the country to
avoidutterdestruction, the President said.
"If they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from
the air the like of which has never been seen on Earth. Behind this air attack
will follow by sea and land forces in such number and power as they have not yet
seen, but with fighting skill of which they are already aware."
The British Prime Minister Clement Attlee, who has replaced Winston
Churchill at Number 10, read out a statement prepared by hispredecessorto MPs in
the Commons.
It said the atomic project had such great potential the government felt it
was right to pursue the research and to pool information with atomic scientists
in the US.
As Britain was considered within easy reach of Germany and its bombers, the
decision was made to set up the bomb-making plants in the US.
The statement continued: "By God's mercy, Britain and American science
outpaced all German efforts. These were on a considerable scale, but far behind.
The possession of these powers by the Germans at any time might have altered the
result of the war."
Mr Churchill's statement said considerable efforts had been made to disrupt
German progress - including attacks on plants making constituent parts of the
bomb.
He ended: "We must indeed pray that these awful agencies will be made to
conduce peace among the nations and that instead of wreaking
measurelesshavocupon the entire globe they become aperennialfountain of world
prosperity."
Gherman Titov reported back from space that he was "feeling splendid"
1961: Russian cosmonaut spends day in space
Artificially bred Tunku The USSR has launched its secondcosmonautinto space
just four months after Yuri Gagarin made his historic venture.
Major Gherman Titov, aged 25, has amazed the world by spending the whole
day in orbit over the Earth aboard his one-person Vostok II spacecraft.
He has been sending messages to every continent saying "I feel
splendid."
Sources in Moscow say he is due to land tomorrow morning after completing
about 20 orbits around the globe.
At 1530 GMT he switched off radio communication so that he could get some
sleep and turned it on again seven and a half hours later.
He is reported to have had a three-course meal for lunch and a substantial
supper before turning in for the night.
Shortly before he was blasted into space from the Baikonur cosmodrome in
the Kazakh Republic, he sent this message via the Tass news agency.
"It is difficult to express in words the feelings of happiness and pride
which fill me. I have been entrusted with an honourable and responsible
task."
He dedicated his flight to the 22nd congress of the Soviet Communist Party
to be held in October, thanked the Soviet Government and its chairman Nikita
Khrushchev. He also sent greetings to his "great friend" Yuri Gagarin.
Once in space, Major Titov sent another greeting to Mr Khrushchev to which
the Soviet leader replied: "All Soviet people are happy at your successful
flight and are proud of you. We are awaiting your landing. We embrace you,
Khrushchev."
Major Titov spent his time doing exercises and monitoring the effects of
weightlessness on his body.
Major Gagarin, the first man in space, has sent a telegram congratulating
hiscompatriot. The two men trained for two years together before Gagarin was
chosen to fly into space on Vostok I on 12 April this year.
The response from the US on Russia's achievement has been muted. The United
States Space Agency recorded the flight of Vostok II as "an important technical
achievement".
Vocabulary:
impenetrable: permitting little if any light to pass through because of
denseness of matter(难以渗透的)
utter: total(全面的，整个的)
predecessor: one whom another follows or comes after, in any office or
position(前任)
havoc: violent and needless disturbance(大破坏，浩劫)
perennial: lasting an indefinitely long time(长期的)
cosmonaut: a person trained to travel in a spacecraft(宇航员)
compatriot: a person from your own country(同胞)
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