Princeton|Local Event
Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Commemoration of the 81st Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings
Coalition for Peace Action, Princeton, NJ, and Princeton Public Library are co-sponsoring an 81st Anniversary observance of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, from 6:00-7:30 PM on Wednesday, August 5, in the library Community Room. That evening coincides with 8:15 AM on August 6 in Hiroshima, the exact time the first atomic bomb was detonated.
The Commemoration Program features a slide presentation by Dr. Alan Robock, a renowned Climate scientist based at Rutgers University, followed by a Q and A period. He has co-led studies on the existential danger presented by a nuclear winter that could be triggered by the use of even a small fraction of the over 12,000 nuclear weapons in the world.
A leading expert on the climatic consequences of nuclear conflict, Dr. Robock is co-author, with Dr. Brian Toon, of Earth in Flames: How an Asteroid Killed the Dinosaurs and How We Can Avoid a Similar Fate From Nuclear Winter, published in 2025. Click here to read a May 14, 2026 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists interview with the authors.
The observance will include songs of peace performed by The Solidarity Singers of the New Jersey State Industrial Union Council, and a candlelight vigil. One minute of silence at 7:15 PM will be observed to solemnly mark the time in Hiroshima at 8:15 AM, the exact moment when the atomic bomb detonated on August 6, 1945. Closing musical selections will conclude the Program by 7:30 PM.
The Commemoration is free and open to the public, however those wishing to attend are encouraged to email jnew@peacecoalition.org with name(s) and number planning to attend, to help with logistical preparations. Further information can be found at peacecoalition.org. Convenient parking is available in the Spring Street Garage next to the Princeton Public Library.
“The Coalition for Peace Action has held Commemorations of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Bombings every year since our founding in 1980. The purpose is not to look back with 20-20 hindsight to question whether the atomic bombings in 1945 were justified. What’s done is done. Rather, our reason for having these commemorations is to remember the absolute horror that nuclear weapons represent and face the real and growing threat they present today. On this 81st Anniversary, we re-commit ourselves to working for the global abolition of nuclear weapons so such total destruction can never again be inflicted,” said the Rev. Robert Moore, CFPA’s executive director.