Hiroshima

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception 

Today in 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

This silk flag was carried by a Japanese soldier. Flags like these were often inscribed with the names of loved ones and inspirational messages.

Read more from the National Museum of American History: http://s.si.edu/16rJudE

Learn more about the plane that dropped the bomb, Enola Gay, on display at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Smithsonian: http://s.si.edu/enolagay