Enola Gay
August 1945 bomber
Enola Gay was the American B-29 bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945.
The plane was named by its pilot, Paul Tibbets, after his mother.
The name has become synonymous with nuclear warfare and its moral complexities: The Enola Gay is preserved at the Smithsonian.
First nuclear-struck city
- Little BoyCodename for Hiroshima bomb
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- ground zeroExplosion's central impact point
- black rainPrecipitation carrying nuclear debris
mushroom cloud · radiation · fallout · survivors · aftermath · ruins · suffering · remembrance
Explosive-delivery aircraft or saboteur
- fuselageAircraft's central structure
- cockpitPilot's control compartment
- propellersSpinning blades creating thrust
- bomb bayAircraft ordnance compartment
silverplate · modifications · engines · wingspan · tail · nose art · restoration · Smithsonian
Fission-triggered mass destruction device
- uranium-235Fissile nuclear isotope
- plutonium-239Fissile actinide isotope
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
- Los AlamosNuclear research town
Robert Oppenheimer · Enrico Fermi · chain reaction · critical mass · enrichment · Trinity test · Oak Ridge · Hanford
Period following fission's harnessing
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
- arms raceEscalating weapons accumulation between nations
- deterrencePrevention via threatened consequences
- controversyProlonged public disagreement
remembrance · V-J Day · Harry Truman · anniversary · historical significance
Hiroshima
First nuclear-struck city
- Little BoyCodename for Hiroshima bomb
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- ground zeroExplosion's central impact point
black rain · mushroom cloud · radiation · fallout · survivors · aftermath · ruins · suffering · remembrance · tragedy
bomber
Explosive-delivery aircraft or saboteur
- fuselageAircraft's central structure
- cockpitPilot's control compartment
- propellersSpinning blades creating thrust
bomb bay · silverplate · modifications · engines · wingspan · tail · nose art · restoration · Smithsonian · display
atomic bomb
Fission-triggered mass destruction device
- uranium-235Fissile nuclear isotope
- plutonium-239Fissile actinide isotope
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
Los Alamos · Robert Oppenheimer · Enrico Fermi · chain reaction · critical mass · enrichment · Trinity test · Oak Ridge · Hanford · nuclear secrets
nuclear age
Period following fission's harnessing
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
- arms raceEscalating weapons accumulation between nations
- deterrencePrevention via threatened consequences
controversy · remembrance · V-J Day · Harry Truman · anniversary · historical significance
bombardier
Plane's payload releaser
payload · altitude · target · deployment · flight path · briefing · secrecy · takeoff · return
- WWIID-Day, Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Hiroshima, Holocaust
- Atomic Bombingatomic bomb, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, atomic bombing, Little Boy
- BombersB-17, B-24, B-25, B-29, B-52
- Pacific WarPearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, Midway, Okinawa, Guadalcanal
- WWII 1945V-E Day, V-J Day, VE Day, VJ Day, Hiroshima
- Aviation HistoryWright Brothers, Wright Flyer, Wright brothers, Kitty Hawk, first flight
Enola Gaywhite dove
olive branch · peace symbol · dove of peace · paper crane · Nobel Peace Prize
Enola GayBerlin Airlift
Allied supply mission, 1948
humanitarian airlift · relief mission · Doctors Without Borders · evacuation flight