Hiroshima atomic bombing: Four things you didn't know

Hiroshima: Japan is on Thursday marking 70 years since the atomic bombing in Hiroshima that helped end World War II.

Here are four facts you probably didn't know about the incident:

1. The city of Hiroshima named 'Oleander' its official flower because it was the first to bloom following the bombing. Those who survived the bombing regarded the blooming of the flower as a sign of renewed life.

2. While the atomic bombing decimated almost everything in most part of the Japanese city, six Ginkgo trees survived about a kilometre away from the site of the detonation. The trees were among the few living things in the area that survives the explosion. The trees are alive to this day and are sometimes regarded as living fossils.

3. Hiroshima's trams also survived the annihilation and some of them are still in operation today. For Japanese, the trams are a sign of resilience.

4. The Bank of Japan building survived the blast despite being just about 400 metres away from ground zero. Its thick walls are credited for the survival of the building in which many people took refuge and got saved.