After Germany surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945, the surrender of Japan was the last remaining obstacle to ending World War II. Presented is a circa 1945 snapshot Type I photograph of the aftermath of the bombing of Nagasaki, which, along with the city of Hiroshima, were bombed with atomic bombs in August of 1945, effectively bringing the war to an end after the immense destruction caused by the two bombs. The bombs were developed through the Manhattan Project. The bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, was called "Little Boy," an enriched uranium fission bomb. The bomb dropped on Nagasaki three days later on August 9th was called "Fat Man," a plutonium implosion type nuclear weapon. The rationale for the bombing was that a land invasion of Japan would cost the lives of untold numbers of American and Japanese military personnel and the total lives lost, including civilians in Japan, would be much more from a conventional invasion than from the atomic bombs. An estimated 90,000 lives were lost from the Hiroshima bombing, and an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 lives were lost from the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, an industrial city that manufactured ships, ordnance, and military supplies. Nagasaki was actually only originally a secondary target, but a series of mishaps forced Bockscar, the plane with the drop bomb, to forego bombing the city of Kokura, the primary target, and make Nagasaki the target. Primarily as a result of the two bombs, on August 15, 1945, Japan announced that it would surrender to the Allies, and Japan's formal surrender occurred a few weeks later, on September 2nd. 

The offered snapshot photograph measures 2.5x3.5", trading card size, but far grimmer in nature than sports cards. The black & white snapshot shows a section of Nagasaki with most structures completely leveled, and even partially spared structures are rare. There is tape on each side of the front of the photo. There is no indication of who took the photo. The only information on the back is a stamped number that appears to be "893." Aside from the tape, the photograph is in nice condition. The snapshot has been encapsulated and PSA graded as "TYPE I/AUTHENTIC" (1945-46).

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