Little Boy

E50421

Little Boy was the codename for the uranium-based atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, by the United States on August 6, 1945, marking the first use of nuclear weapons in warfare.

Aliases (1)

Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf atomic bomb
nuclear weapon
uranium-based fission bomb
approximateYield 13–18 kilotons of TNT
15 kilotons of TNT
casualtiesContext caused massive civilian casualties in Hiroshima
category Nuclear bombs of the United States
World War II weapons of the United States
cityTargeted Hiroshima
codenameOf uranium-based atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
continentTargeted Asia
countryOfOrigin United States
crewCommanderOfDeliveryAircraft Paul W. Tibbets Jr.
dateOfUse 1945-08-06
deliveredBy 509th Composite Group
deliveryAircraft Enola Gay
deliveryMethod air-dropped bomb
designType gun-type fission weapon
developedBy Los Alamos Laboratory
Manhattan Project
developmentCountry United States
developmentPeriod World War II
diameter approximately 71 centimeters
droppedOn Hiroshima
era early Cold War precursor
explosionHeight approximately 600 meters above Hiroshima
firstUseContext first atomic bomb used in combat
first nuclear weapon used in warfare
fissileMaterial uranium-235
followedBy Fat Man
historicalSignificance contributed to Japan's decision to surrender
demonstrated destructive power of nuclear weapons
triggered global nuclear arms race
length approximately 3 meters
nicknameLanguage English
operator United States Army Air Forces
opposedBy some Manhattan Project scientists
purpose to demonstrate U.S. nuclear capability
to force Japanese surrender
relatedEvent atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
relatedOperation Manhattan Project nuclear tests and development
targetCountry Japan
usedBy United States Army Air Forces
usedInConflict World War II
usedInTheater Pacific War
usedOnDate 1945-08-06
warheadType fission
weaponType strategic bomb
weight approximately 4,400 kg


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