Today, August 6, 2019, marks the 74th anniversary of the horrific nuclear attack in Japan's Hiroshima. On this day, in 1945, the United States of America dropped the world's first-ever atomic bomb with nuclear warheads. The catastrophic assault ended up killing 80,000 civilians and left nearly 200,000 injured.

Three days later, the US dropped another nuclear bomb in the nearby town of Nagasaki, which led to the loss of another 40,000 lives. The back-to-back nuclear strikes coerced Japan into submission before the Allied Powers, thus ending the deadly second world war. Hiroshima Day Facts & History: Twitter Mourns Over the Death of Thousands of People in Japan

Effect of the nuclear attack in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is felt to this day, as three generations of the residents have suffered due to the radioactive elements. Several among the victim's offspring, and their offspring, have been born with defected organs including smaller brains -- thus leading socially and mentally handicapped lives.

The disastrous impact of the nuclear attacks forced the world leaders to adopt the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). Signatories to the group include Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and the US, among others.

Despite the NPT, threat of a nuclear warfare continues to haunt the modern world. The most recent skirmish involved the US and North Korea, as heads of states of both the nations threatened to press the "n-button" if further provoked.

Tensions , however, subsided as Donald Trump took the unprecedented step of inviting Kim Jong-un for a successful round of talks in Hanoi.

Threat of nuclear warfare also looms in South Asia, where arch-rivals India and Pakistan who continue to sabre-rattle over the territorial dispute of Kashmir, have time and again warned each other of their nuclear arsenals.

Moving forward, the international community needs to adopt more rigorous measures to diffuse global tensions through multilateral talks and strive towards further de-armament.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2019 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).