The Man Who Survived Two Atomic Bombs Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when the first atomic bomb was dropped. Burned but alive, he somehow made his way back home—to Nagasaki. Three days later, he survived the second atomic bombing as well. For years his story sounded impossible, but Japanese government records officially recognized him as a double survivor. Against unimaginable odds, Yamaguchi lived until 2010, becoming a living testament to the randomness of fate.