Would the world be better if there was no nuclear energy? On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first time a weapon of mass destruction had been used in war. Three days later we dropped a more powerful nuclear bomb on the city of Nagasaki, Japan. There are reasons why Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the first and last time in history that nuclear bombs were used. The famous nuclear fallout occurred in Chernobyl, Ukraine. A nuclear power plant was pushed too far and the cooling system was compromised causing the plant to melt down. Chernobyl is currently uninhabitable. The most recent nuclear problem occurred in 2011 at the Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan. The reactor was located in a very dangerous location, after the tsunami hit Japan, 3 of the 6 reactors melted down, causing worldwide fear of radiation contaminating water, more specifically fish. John Hersey's novel Hiroshima, as well as other sources, show that nuclear energy can destroy cities and people's lives because it leaves cities radioactive and has long-term effects on people's psychological and physical health. However, nuclear energy can be useful as an energy source. Nuclear energy is dangerous; it destroys cities and leaves them radioactive. In particular, “The city had been destroyed by the energy released when the atoms were somehow split in two” (Hersey, 86). When the bomb was dropped, devastation occurred when the atoms inside the bomb split apart. The bomb was designed to explode before hitting the ground to create maximum destruction. Furthermore, “Japanese physicists, who knew a lot about atomic fission, were concerned about persistent radiation at Hiroshima” (Hersey, 97). Physicists, who... middle of paper... Not all nuclear energy is bad; nuclear energy eliminates the use of fossil fuels. This is supported by Hiroshima, John Hersey and other sources. The American government has no idea of ​​the long-term effects of nuclear war. Now, knowing what the risk of nuclear energy is, the United States refrains from using it in modern warfare. Works Cited Beller, Denis and Rhodes, Richard. “The Necessity of Nuclear Energy.” Foreign Affairs. January/February 2000: 30-44. SIRS problem researcher. Network. 04 April 2014. Brothers, Peter H. “Japan's Nuclear Nightmare: How the Bomb Became a Beast Called Godzilla.” Filmmakers. Summer 2011: 36-40. LORDS Renaissance. Network. 08 April 2014.Custers, Petere. "Still no escape from killer Chernobyl." Global Information Network.24 April 2011: np SIRS Issues Researcher. Network. 07 April 2014.Hersey, John. Hiroshima. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1946. Print