In what very well may be the most awesome news story in the history of man, Tsutomu Yamaguchi was formally recognized by Japan as the first documented survivor of both atomic blasts, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In both instances, he was located at "Ground Zero," a radius of roughly 3 kilometers from the initial blast site. Perhaps the most remarkable fact regarding this story is the fact that Yamaguchi is still alive, at 93.
The first blast occurred while Yamaguchi was finishing up a business trip when he noticed a plane fly over his head. Then, out of the blue, he was knocked over with a force he had never felt before; an atomic bomb had just been dropped on Hiroshima. When he woke up, he was severely burned, was partially deaf in one ear (blew out his ear drums), and temporarily blind. The radiation caused his hair to fall out. In spite of his injuries, he returned to his home in Nagasaki two days later... just in time to relive his experience.
While talking to his supervisor, who did not believe that a single bomb could do so much damage, another atomic bomb dropped on him. Again, he was inside "Ground Zero," within 3 kilometers of the blast.
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Side Note: that has to be one of the greatest "I told you so" moments in the history of man, right? I imagine the conversation went something like this:
Boom!!! (atomic bomb drops)
Yamaguchi -- "To answer your question, something like that."
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Today, the former engineer is enjoying retirement. His son and wife, both survivors of the second blast, have since passed, with his son dying of cancer at the age of 59.
He is also (in the mother of all "No Shit Sherlock" moments) an anti-nuclear activist.
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