Hoping to finally end World War II, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. Three days later, the U.S. dropped another massive bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. The result was total devastation. Within seconds of the blasts, more than 120,000 men, women and children died. Thousands more would die from radiation sickness in the months to come. The war was over but the ongoing fear of nuclear destruction had begun.

The United States entered World War II after a surprise attack by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. U.S. officials feared that Japanese Americans would betray their country and help Japan. Nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were taken from their homes and moved into relocation centers, which some viewed as concentration camps. The internees, backed by many other Americans, believed that their fundamental rights as U.S. citizens had been denied. Years later the government apologized for its unjust actions.