Eighty-One Years

Quick answer: What happened at Hiroshima on August 6, 1945?

At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, the B-29 Enola Gay dropped a uranium bomb called Little Boy over Hiroshima. It burst just under two thousand feet up. Tens of thousands died at once, and by December the city's count reached about 140,000. Weeks earlier, scientists had petitioned the President, who never saw it.

At a quarter past eight on a cloudless Monday, August 6, 1945, Hiroshima's streetcars were running and schoolchildren were pulling down wooden houses for firebreaks. One B-29 didn't seem worth a trip to the shelter. It was the Enola Gay, and it released a uranium bomb the crew called Little Boy. A man sitting on the steps of the Sumitomo Bank left only a shadow in the granite; no one learned his name. By December, the city's count of the dead reached about 140,000. Three weeks earlier, scientists who built the weapon had written to the President asking him to think twice. He never saw it. John carries the question forward. The builders of today's new technologies are asking for the fence early, while a letter can still help. But this capability spreads downward and outward, needing no country to build it. In Hiroshima, a flame lit in 1964 will burn until the last nuclear weapon is gone. Every morning, so far, it's still burning.

Why it matters for leaders: The people who build powerful things see the danger first; leaders need channels that let those warnings reach the top.

Q: What is the Hiroshima Peace Flame?

A: A flame lit August 1, 1964, which the city promised to keep burning until the last nuclear weapon on earth is gone.

Q: What connection does John draw to today?

A: Builders of new technology are again warning early, and unlike the bomb, this capability spreads downward to anyone with a fast computer and a reason.

Read the full essay on Substack → https://heroespath.substack.com/p/eighty-one-years

By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation