Eighty years ago, the world entered the nuclear age when Enola Gay, a modified U.S. Army Air Corps B-29 Superfortress, dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, a second atomic strike hit Nagasaki.
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, despite holding the Enola Gay in its collections, is not hosting any events or special exhibits to mark Wednesday’s anniversary, a spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY. The museum will instead share information and existing web content about the bombings on social media.
The otherwise unmarked anniversary comes as the nation’s museums stand at a crossroads after President Donald Trump’s March executive order aiming to restore what he called “truth and sanity” to museums and history education.
More: Trump sets sights on national African American history museum
Trump’s executive order is but the most recent offensive in long-running wars over America’s past, including the mid-1990s when a planned exhibit of Enola Gay for the bombings’ 50th anniversary sparked a major clash between the Smithsonian, politicians, and veterans’ organizations.
