Here's what Hiroshima looks like today — and how the effects of the bombing still linger

• Hiroshima today looks completely different than it did 73 years ago.
• On August 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima that destroyed most of the city and instantly killed 80,000 of its citizens.
• Today, Hiroshima has recovered into a bustling manufacturing hub with a population of 1.1 million people and counting.
• Here’s what Hiroshima looks like today.

On August 6, 2018, the 73rd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, the residents of the Japanese city will pause to remember the day in 1945 that changed the course of history.

On August 6, 1945, the US bomber Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb ever used in military combat on Hiroshima. The Allied forces dropped a second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki three days later.

The device that exploded over Hiroshima destroyed about two-thirds of the city’s structures in a blinding flash of light. At the time, Hiroshima’s population was approximately 300,000. The atomic bomb immediately killed 80,000 and injured 35,000 more. By the end of 1945, 60,000 more people had died as a result of the blast.

Today, Hiroshima is a prosperous manufacturing hub with a population of over 1.1 million.

Here’s what the city looks like today and the lingering effects of the bombing:

SEE ALSO: Why it's so hard to lose a plane

1. August 6, 1945: the bomb nicknamed ‘Little Boy’ flattens Hiroshima

Almost 70% of buildings in Hiroshima were demolished in the blast. The skeleton of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, located only about 175 yards from the bomb’s hypocenter,stood starkly among the rubble and became a symbol of the devastation.

2. The Atomic Bomb Dome: Hiroshima remembers

The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, a multifunctional building created in 1915 that was used for research and design consultation, was one of the few buildings left standing after the blast.

Now a part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the Atomic Bomb Dome, or Genbaku Dome, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

3. Hiroshima shadows: after the blast

The heat from the atomic blast burned lasting shadows onto walls and pavements in the shapes of the objects in its path. The most haunting Hiroshima shadows are the outlines of victims who were going about their daily lives when the bomb was dropped. Today, some shadows are displayed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.