On August 6th, 1945 at 8:15 a.m, the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan.   The bomb exploded in close proximity to the Genbaku Dome; it virtually destroyed the entire city.  Former Hiroshima mayor, Shinzo Hamai, was instrumental in collecting funds for the dome’s preservation.  The Genbaku Dome has undergone two preservation projects since the 1960s.