Genbaku Dome/ Peace Dome, Hiroshima, then and now
On August 6, 1945, the United States used the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The only structure in the epicenter area that survived the blast was the Genbaku Dome, pictured before World War II. The building was constructed in 1915 as the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Display Hall, used as a market for locally produced goods from the city and the surrounding prefect. The copper dome and its brick and steel construction made it stand out among a city built mainly of wood. When the bomb went off, it was nearly directly over the dome. The blast instantly killed everyone inside the building. Despite the devastation, the Display Hall’s earthquake-resistant columns withstood the downward forces of the blast. Today, the preserved remains of the dome stand as a memorial, a cry for peace, and the hope that nuclear weapons will never be used again.