This A-bomb drawing by Kazuhiro Ishizu shows "the city in flames and fleeing people." Next to the picture, Ishizu wrote the following description: "Aug. 6, 1945, 8:15 a.m. A fine day with clear skies. I had porridge and was all sweaty from the morning. Feeling relieved that the air raid alert was lifted, I was wearing only shorts, and the second I opened the window at the entrance, a blinding flash of light came with a large explosion, making me feel like my belly was gouged out. Just when I thought the city had been enveloped in yellow smoke, a strong blast hit, knocking houses down. I don't know how many hours after, but a fire had broken out in the neighborhood, and I barely came to my senses after choking on this tremendous black smoke. A large tree was crushing my whole body, so I couldn't do anything, and though I gave up for a moment, I frantically pushed my way through the surging fires, my entire body pitch black with blood and dust, and I finally managed to escape. The neighborhood had fallen to pieces, collapsed on both sides of the road. I thought it had been a blow just above my head, but the whole town had fallen over. And everything was ablaze. From every direction echoed painful screams crying for help. The ones covered in blood who were able to escape may have been lucky. Even the ones who escaped with their entire body scorched would still have been better, though they might eventually die... What rings in the depths of my ears 30 years on is... the voices of people crushed under big trees, scorched alive from the tips of their feet, writhing in agony, shrieking in pain. The agonized cries of people's last moments before death, which are impossible to hear without sobbing. Alas! The atomic bomb is terrifying. The atomic bomb is hateful." (Photo courtesy of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)