
Nagasaki's Urakami Cathedral Bells
From MacArthur Memorial Podcast by MacArthur Memorial; Amanda Williams
December 19, 2025 · 17 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the impact of the atomic bomb on Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki and features a conversation with Dr. James Nolan about his grandfather's involvement in the Manhattan Project.
On August 9, 1945, a second atomic bomb detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki, roughly 1600 feet away from the original Urakami Cathedral. The blast killed dozens inside the cathedral, and over 70,000 in the city. The cathedral and its smaller bell were destroyed in the blast. The larger bell survived in the rubble. In 1959 the cathedral was rebuilt but one bell tower remained empty. In 2023, Dr. James Nolan, whose grandfather worked on the Manhattan Project, had a conversation with a ...
People in this episode
Host: Amanda Williams
Guest: Dr. James Nolan
Topics covered
- atomic bomb
- Nagasaki
- Urakami Cathedral
- World War II
- history
- reconstruction
Keywords
- Nagasaki
- Urakami Cathedral
- atomic bomb
- World War II
- Dr. James Nolan
- Manhattan Project
- history
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Manhattan Project
Places: Nagasaki, Urakami Cathedral
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