70 years ago today: The moment the US deployed the most powerful weapon known to man

Released from B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 a.m. (Japanese time), the world entered the unprecedented atomic age with the deployment of the most powerful weapon known to man.

Born from the Einstein-inspired Manhattan Project, the first nuclear weapon used in war fell for 44.4 seconds before unleashing approximately 12,500 tons of TNT over the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

Code-named "Little Boy," the bomb killed 140,000 people and destroyed 90 percent of the city.

Three days later, the U.S. dropped another bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing about 40,000 people instantly; thousands more would die of radiation poisoning.

Eight days later, Japan informally surrendered to the Allied forces, effectively ending World War II.

More from Business Insider:

• Former ISIS fighter explains why he joined the terror army — and why he left after just 3 days
• Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard granted parole, will be released in November
• It's been 20 years since the Srebrenica massacre, one of the most horrific atrocities since World War II
• This stunning combat art reveals what aerial warfare was like during World War II
• Hilary Clinton: Here's the 'principle threat' ISIS poses to the US

This article originally appeared at Business Insider Defense. Copyright 2015. Follow BI Defense on Twitter.