It was 67 years ago today, on August 6th, 1945, that America deployed its first Atomic bomb in anger and released it over the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

About 50,000 people attended the ceremony making the catastrophic event at Hiroshima’s Peace Park today. Among those gathered there was the grandson of the President who ordered the bomb dropped that killed as many as 140,000 people and destroyed the vast majority of the city.

In a news conference after the event, Clifton Truman Daniel said, “I’m two generations down the line. It’s now my responsibility to do all I can to make sure we never use nuclear weapons again.” Daniel declined to comment when asked if he thought his grandfather’s decision was the right one.

Also in attendence was the grandson of the radar operator on the flights, Ari Beser. His grandfather Jacob Beser was the only part of the crew that was on both missions over Japan, the bombing of Hiroshima and the next, over Nagasaki that occurred on August 9th, just three days later.

Now more than ever, with rising anti-nuclear sentiments swelling in the country, because of the Fukushima accident last year,people from 70 countrys around the world attended the cerremony that was marked by the tolling of a bell followed by a moment of silence. Flowers were placed before Hiroshima’s Eternal Flame.

The Mayor of Hiroshima said a bolder role must be taken by Japan to lead in disarmament efforts around the globe. He claled on the world’s leaders to come to Hiroshima to contemplate peace. He said, “I firmly believe that the demand for freedom from nuclear weapons will soon spread out from Hiroshima, encircle the globe, and lead us to genuine world peace.”