On August 6, 1945, nuclear weapons were used for the first time in human history: the American bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. More than 100,000 people died, and hundreds of thousands were injured and suffered radiation sickness. A year later, The New Yorker magazine devoted an entire issue to a report by John Hersey, who traced the lives of six survivors before, during, and after the explosion. Published as a book, the report sold over three million copies and has been repeatedly recognized as the finest example of American journalism of the 20th century. In 1985, Hersey wrote an article that became the fifth chapter of "Hiroshima," in which he recounted the subsequent destinies of his book's six main characters. With endless attention to detail and facts, Hersey describes the embodiment of a nightmare that has haunted generations—a nightmare that continues to haunt us.