– Why did the weaker of the two bombs, ‘Little Boy’ reportedly caused more deaths than the stronger ‘Fat Man’?
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The death and damage caused by a bomb is not only determined by the absolute strength of the bomb. The height that the bomb is released, the local geography and construction, the density of inhabitation, and the response afterwards all have a large effect.
For example, Hiroshima had an estimated 350,000 residents before the bombing, to Nagasaki’s 260,000. Another major factor is that Hiroshima spread across a wide, flat plain, while the spot that Fat Man detonated was in a small valley. This means that the blast at Hiroshima was better able to spread out and do damage, whereas much of Nagasaki was partially shielded by the land.
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