For next week: Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Hi folks,

For next week, I'd like everyone to familiarize themselves with the history of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I have posted a few interesting articles and videos, but I would actually prefer to have everyone do a little of their own research and see what they find. The topics I would like you all to think about are below. Note that there isn't any written assignment for this week, though.

Questions to try to answer in your readings/viewings/explorations:
The "Manhattan project": what was it? Who was involved?
Why did we bomb Japan in 1945?
What were the differences between the bombs used in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki cases?
What were the initial casualties and effects of both explosions?
What was the experience like for eyewitnesses?
What are some of the legacies?

A few links to get you started:
A U.S. Military video about the bombings, from early 1946 (everyone should watch this - very interesting)
A U.S. Department of Energy online history of the Manhattan Project. This is a very comprehensive site, with probably more information than you want. I would particularly recommend taking a look at the links in the section called the Dawn of the Atomic Era.
A commemorative website from the 60 year anniversary

Some survivor accounts can be found in many different places. A few to try:
"Voice of Hibakusha"
Re-post of art by survivors, which was posted earlier by Matt R.