In 1945, a 2-year-old girl was caught in the bomb explosion that destroyed the city of Hiroshima; due to the aftereffects of the blast, she was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 12. Having heard of a Japanese legend that stated that anyone who folds 1,000 origami cranes is granted one wish, the girl then started making many, many paper cranes. Her own wish was to get better, but she lived only a few months longer.

Since that time, the crane has come to symbolize peace, in addition to its traditional associations with happiness and long life. Recently, the girl’s family donated one of her original cranes to Pearl Harbor, as a message of peace between Japan and the United States; this past Friday, September 20, it was put on display at Pearl Harbor’s visitors’ centre.

Written by David Zhu (club member)

For Original News Story, please visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/10323614/Crane-made-by-Hiroshima-girl-who-died-of-cancer-given-to-US-museum.html