| For years, this image was identified as people fleeing the firestorm at Hiroshima, caused when the atomic detonation’s heat wave burned the city, and the blast wave knocked over buildings during breakfast, causing coal and wood stoves to add to the conflagration. However, in 2009, a review by Japanese scholars cast doubt on the photo being taken during the Hiroshima or Nagasaki atomic attacks. 3 things stand out; 1, the people are still wearing clothes, when hibakusha (“explosion-affected people”) were generally burned down to the bone; 2, the wooden buildings still stand, when buildings close enough to the hypocenter to be on fire were also close enough to be destroyed by the blast wave; and 3rd, the identity of the photographer has never been confirmed. 35 photos have been confirmed as images from August 6. Among them, 25 photos are of the mushroom cloud. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2144.jpg |
| Image Size | 138.56 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1002 x 886 |
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| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | January 1, 1945 |
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| Country | Japan |
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| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database