It was 73 years ago today (Aug. 6) that the Enola Gay, a US military B-29 Superfortress, dropped a nuclear bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands instantly. Many more died in the ensuing days and months.
The first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare was repeated by the US three days later on Aug. 9, 1945 in Nagasaki. Japan would surrender on Aug. 15.
Photos taken from the air and from high elevations in the days immediately after the bombings show the total and indiscriminate scope of the destruction:
