Home > Science Fact Finder > Cars, Boats, Planes, and Trains - What Is The Name Of The Airplane Which Carried The First Atomic Bomb?

Cars, Boats, Planes, and Trains - What Is The Name Of The Airplane Which Carried The First Atomic Bomb?

What is the name of the airplane which carried the first atomic bomb?

During World War II (1939-45), the Enola Gay, a modified Boeing B-29 bomber, dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945. It was piloted by Paul W. Tibbets Jr. (1915—) of Miami, Florida. The bombardier was Thomas W. Ferebee of Mocksville, North Carolina. Bomb designer William S. Parsons was aboard as an observer.

Three days later, another B-29 called Bock's Car dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. The two bombs together leveled both cities, killed about 150,000 Japanese citizens, and induced radiation sickness in countless others. The Japanese surrendered unconditionally on August 15.

The Enola Gay has been on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., since June 25, 1995. It will remain there indefinitely. Bock's...

[The entire page is 226 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the: