Japan and the world commemorated the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, inaugurating a new era of human history.

At 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945, the American B-29 bomber known as the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, unleashing a destructive force never seen before. Tens of thousands were instantly vaporized or killed in the immediate blast wave, with tens of thousands more dying of radiation sickness over the ensuing weeks and months. Three days later, another, more powerful plutonium bomb was dropped on Nagasaki after clouds obscured the intended target of Kokura, killing many thousands more. The bombs, combined with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria on Aug. 9, precipitated Japan’s surrender on Aug. 15, finally ending the deadliest war in human history.