Paper Cranes
Malcolm Richardson
1000 Cranes of Hope Project
The ancient Japanese tradition of senbazuru promises that a person who folds 1000 cranes will be granted a wish, such as long life or recovery from illness. Many times a family or group of people come together to accomplish this labor of love. The 1000 Cranes of Hope Project collects the wishes of families, caretakers, and victims of cancer. Each wish made gives a donation to charitable and professional donations.
The Mushroom Cloud
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On 6 August 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Two days later, one was dropped on Nagasaki. The bombings effectively ended World War II by bringing about the surrender of Japan, but at a terrible price - the two cities were destroyed and casualties, mostly civilians, were estimated at around 200,000, with many more people dying later from injuries and illness.
Destroyed Cities
Story of Sadako Sasaki
When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Sadako Sasaki was two years old. Ten years later, she developed leukemia due to the radiation from the bomb. She heard about the legend of the paper cranes; if a sick person folds a thousand they will become well again. Sadako folded cranes through her illness and had them hung from strings above her bed, but she died before she could finish. Her classmates folded the rest and buried them with her when she died.