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On the night of March 9, 1945, American B-29 bombers dropped 1,665 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo, killing over 100,000 civilians in the deadliest air raid in human history. It killed more people than Hiroshima. More than Nagasaki. It was a strategic success that cut Tokyo's industrial output in half and helped end the war. And it deliberately targeted residential neighborhoods full of women, children, and the elderly. Most Americans don't even know it happened. This is about why we remember some mass killings and forget others and what that says about us.
By Richard G BackusOn the night of March 9, 1945, American B-29 bombers dropped 1,665 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo, killing over 100,000 civilians in the deadliest air raid in human history. It killed more people than Hiroshima. More than Nagasaki. It was a strategic success that cut Tokyo's industrial output in half and helped end the war. And it deliberately targeted residential neighborhoods full of women, children, and the elderly. Most Americans don't even know it happened. This is about why we remember some mass killings and forget others and what that says about us.