Photos: Nuclear Strikes

Hi Global Recap readers,

Every August, like clockwork, I can't help but picture the mushroom clouds over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Today is no different.

• Eighty years ago today, the US dropped the first atomic bomb ever used in war on Hiroshima.

• Just days later, Nagasaki became the second and, so far, the last.

• But did you know that more cities were on the list?

With all the nuclear threats floating around today, it feels like the right time to share some photos from back then as a reminder of what these weapons really mean. 👇️ 

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇫🇷 France Boots Smoker

France just revoked a Moroccan man’s residency for lighting a cigarette at Paris’s Unknown Soldier War Memorial, a site honoring those who died in WWI. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau called the act “indecent and pathetic.”

• Symbolism: The problems is not that he lit a cigarette, but he used the Arc de Triomphe’s sacred eternal flame to do so.

• Penalty: The 47-year-old, already known to police, faces expulsion after Tuesday’s arrest.

• Politics: Many interpret this as Retailleau setting himself up as a key conservative player for the 2027 presidential race.

• Reaction: Veterans Minister Miralles declared, “France will never let anyone tarnish the memory of those who have died for it. Never.”

🇮🇱 Trump Lets Israel Take Over

Trump is giving Netanyahu the green light to take over the entire Gaza Strip, brushing off both international outrage and his own generals’ warnings.

• Timeline: Israel’s security cabinet votes Thursday on the plan, with it expected to approve a months-long operation, targeting central Gaza and Gaza City.

• Reasons: Due to Hamas not budging on a ceasefire and hostage release deal, Netanyahu is betting everything on military escalation.

• Influence: Trump was reportedly swayed by a Hamas video showing an Israeli hostage digging his own grave, but he’s stopping short of backing annexation.

• Objection: The Israel Defense Forces will move into areas where hostages might be held, risking their lives. However, top Israeli generals, including Gen. Eyal Zamir, warn Netanyahu he’s “walking into a trap” by risking hostages and the soldiers' lives.

🇲🇩 Moldova Jails Governor

Evghenia Gutul, Gagauzia’s top official, just got slapped with a seven-year prison sentence for financing a party Moldova calls a Russian front.

• Verdict: Gutul, 38, was found guilty of channeling money to the “Shor” party, linked to exiled pro-Russian oligarch Ilan Shor.

• Reaction: Moscow is fuming, calling the trial “politically motivated” and accusing Moldova’s pro-EU government of targeting opposition.

• Scene: Gutul’s supporters shouted “shame” and “down with Maia Sandu” as police hauled her away (Sandu is the Moldovan President).

• Timing: The ruling lands just weeks before Moldova’s parliamentary elections on September 28.

🇹🇷 Turkey Nabs Activist

Turkey just arrested 23-year-old Enes Hocaogullari right after he landed in Ankara from France. He previously called out police violence and “democratic backsliding” in Turkey at the Council of Europe.

• Charges: Cops claim he “publicly disseminated misleading information” and “incited hatred and enmity.”

• Timing: He got picked up at Esenboga Airport on Tuesday night, straight off a flight from France.

• Pushback: The Council of Europe is demanding his immediate release, calling this “scandalous and unacceptable.”

• Backdrop: Over 500 of President Erdogan’s political opponents have been detained in the last nine months.

🇩🇪 Dresden Bomb Triggers Exodus

Dresden’s Old Town just got hit with a bomb scare after a live British WWII bomb under a collapsed bridge was found. Around 17,000 people were asked to leave their homes and evacuate.

• Discovery: The bomb is British-made, 250kg (551 lbs), lurking since the 1940s, and found during cleanup for the Carola Bridge demolition.

• Repeat: Germany still digs up WWII bombs regularly; in June, Cologne had to evacuate over 20,000 for three US bombs.

• Global: Similar WWII ordnance keeps popping up from Paris train tracks to Japanese airports.

Speaking of bombs and WWII, let’s take a look at the destruction caused by the only nuclear weapons ever used in combat. 👇

🇯🇵 JAPAN
HIROSHIMA
& NAGASAKI

So here we are, 80 years since the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima. And now, Hiroshima’s mayor is warning that today’s nuclear weapons talk ignores what happened to his city.

The Bombs Hit

Let’s rewind to the days that split history in two.

• On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay B-29 dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima. It is estimated to have killed up to 166,000 people.

• Three days later, “Fat Boy” detonated over Nagasaki. This bomb killed 80,000 more.

• Survivors weren't so lucky either, because they had to suffer radiation sickness, cancers, and generational trauma.

• By the end of 1945, around 210,000 people, mostly civilians and forced Korean laborers, were dead.

Targets

Not many are aware that by May 1945, five cities were selected as potential targets for a nuclear strike.

1. Hiroshima: An important army depot and port of embarkation, and a major military headquarters.

2. Kokura (now part of Kitakyushu): The site of one of Japan’s largest munitions plants.

3. Yokohama: An urban center for aircraft manufacture, machine tools, docks, electrical equipment, and oil refineries.

4. Niigata: A port with industrial facilities including steel and aluminum plants and an oil refinery.

5. Kyoto: A major industrial center and historic city.

However, Kyoto was later removed due to its cultural and historical significance, and Nagasaki was added in its place.

• Kokura was originally the target for August 9, but cloud cover and smoke (likely from nearby conventional bombing in Yahata) caused the mission to divert to Nagasaki.

• Before more atomic bombs could be used, Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945.

Photos

That said, since a picture’s worth a thousand words, here they are: