At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima. Nearly everything in the city was destroyed—but one structure remained standing. Today, the Atomic Bomb Dome, also known as the Genbaku Dome, stands near the hypocenter as one of the most powerful reminders of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, the building survived because the blast detonated almost directly overhead, sending force downward rather than sideways.