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The First Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction
Dr. Enrico Fermi creates the first controlled nuclear uranium reaction, showing it to the world with a demonstration reactor. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki are Bombed by the US
The US president orders the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan. Together they killed over 130,000 people, not including the thousands more from radiation poisoning over the next few months. -
The Atomic Energy Act is Signed
The act is created to place the nuclear energy industry under civilian control. The Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy is also created to monitor the new industry. -
The Atoms For Peace Program is Created
President Eisenhower creates an international agency devoted to finding peaceful uses for nuclear energy and technology. -
The Borax III Experimental Reactor is Successful
Arco, Idaho becomes the first US town powered by nuclear energy. The energy was provided by the experimental water-boiling reactor, Borax III. -
The First Full-Scale Nuclear Power Plant Goes Online
A full scale nuclear reactor in Shippingport, Pennsylvania successfully reaches full power within twenty-one days of going online. -
The First Nuclear Power Plant Without Government Funding
The Dresden 1 Nuclear Power Station in Illinois becomes the first self-sustaining nuclear reactor without government funding. -
The Reprocessing of Used Nuclear Fuel gets Banned
President Carter announces a new policy, stating that used nuclear fuel cannot be recycled and reproccessed. -
The Three Mile Island Incident
The American Three Mile Island nuclear reactor at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania explodes due to equipment failure and human error. It became known as the worst nuclear disaster in US history. -
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act is Created
President Reagan passes a policy that requires construction of permanent underground facilities for storing radioactive nuclear waste. -
The Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Incident
The Chernobyl nuclear reactor in what was then the Soviet Union explodes, sending massive amounts of nuclear radiation through the Northern Hemisphere. Around 75 million people were exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation. Nearly 30,000 cancer-related deaths ensued over a 50 year period. -
The Energy Policy Act is Signed
President Bush signs the Energy Policy Act, which reformed and updated the regulations for nuclear energy and power plants.