August 6th & 9th — 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Wednesday marks 80 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan.

The horrific event would lead to the end of WWII — but it’s ramifications still last today.

Along with the bombing of the city of Nagasaki three days later, the attacks marked the first and only time nuclear weapons had been used throughout the world.

“The initial thing is just to remember how catastrophic this was in context. This is the use of a weapon the world had never seen and has not seen since in terms of its magnitude,” says USC Associate Professor of Political Science, Dr. Chelsea Estancona.

The initial blast and the devastating effects of nuclear poisoning and cancer to follow killed an estimated 200,000 people.

On Wednesday, Japanese officials mark