Atomic Age

The Physics FoundationChain Reaction & The BombAtoms for PeaceThe Great ExpansionTMI & The SlowdownChernobyl & Nuclear WinterThe Nuclear RenaissanceFukushima & The ReckoningThe Nuclear Comeback1900191019201930194019501960197019801990200020102020DiscoveryDesignPlantMilestoneRegulationSafety1895Discovery of X-RaysGermany1896Radioactivity DiscoveredFrance1898Polonium and Radium IsolatedFrance1905E = mc² PublishedGermany1911Discovery of the Atomic Nucl…United Kingdom1913Bohr Model of the Atom1919First Artificial Nuclear Rea…United Kingdom1932.02Discovery of the NeutronUnited Kingdom1932.04First Atom Split by Artifici…United Kingdom1934Artificial Radioactivity Dis…1934.10Fermi's Neutron Bombardment …Italy1938.12Nuclear Fission DiscoveredGermany1939.01Fission Confirmed and Chain …Denmark1939.08Einstein–Szilard Letter to R…United States1942.06Manhattan Project BeginsUnited States1942.12Chicago Pile-1: First Self-S…United States1943X-10 Graphite Reactor Begins…1944.09Hanford B Reactor Begins Plu…United States1945.07Trinity Test: First Nuclear …United States1945.08Atomic Bombing of HiroshimaJapan1945.08Atomic Bombing of NagasakiJapan1946Clementine — First Fast Neut…1946.08U.S. Atomic Energy Act SignedUnited States1948First Nuclear Reactor in Wes…1949.08Soviet Union Tests First Nuc…Soviet Union1951.12EBR-I: First Electricity fro…United States1953.03First Nuclear-Powered Submar…United States1953.12Eisenhower's 'Atoms for Peac…United States1954.06Obninsk: World's First Nucle…Soviet Union1954.08Atomic Energy Act of 1954United States1954.09USS Nautilus CommissionedUnited States1955.08First Geneva Conference on P…Switzerland1956.08Calder Hall: First Commercia…United Kingdom1957.07IAEA EstablishedAustria1957.09First U.S. Commercial Reacto…United States1957.10Windscale Fire — First Major…United Kingdom1958First French Nuclear Reactor…1959Dresden-1: First Privately F…1960Yankee Rowe: Pioneer PWR1960First Naval Nuclear Propulsi…1962EBR-I Proves Breeder Reactor…1963Jersey Central Orders Oyster…United States1964.10China's First Nuclear Weapon…1965First CANDU Reactor: Douglas…1966India's First Research Reactor1966.10Fermi-1 Partial Meltdown1968.07Nuclear Non-Proliferation Tr…International1969Beznau-1: World's Oldest Ope…1970Peak of the 'Nuclear Bandwag…Global1973Oil Crisis Accelerates Nucle…Global1974France's Messmer Plan: All-N…France1974.05India's First Nuclear Test (…1975Browns Ferry Fire1977Carter Bans ReprocessingUnited States1978Japan's Nuclear Fleet Expans…1979US Nuclear Regulatory Commis…1979INPO Established1979.03Three Mile Island AccidentUnited States1980Sweden Votes to Phase Out Nu…1982Nuclear Waste Policy Act1983Superphénix: World's Largest…1986Post-Chernobyl International…Global1986.04Chernobyl DisasterSoviet Union1987Italy Phases Out Nuclear Power1988France Achieves 75% Nuclear …France1991South Korea's Nuclear Rise1994China's First Commercial Nuc…China1996Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-B…1996World's First AP600 Design C…1999.09Tokaimura Criticality Accident2000U.S. Nuclear Capacity Factor…2002Finland Orders Olkiluoto 3 —…2005U.S. Energy Policy Act: Nucl…2006Generation IV International …2007NRC Receives First New React…2009UAE Awards Contract for Bara…2011Germany Announces Nuclear Ph…Germany2011Japan Shuts Down All ReactorsJapan2011.03Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Di…Japan2012Vogtle 3 & 4 Licensed — Firs…United States2013China Becomes World's Larges…China2015Paris Climate Agreement Reco…2016Watts Bar 2: First New US Re…2017Westinghouse Declares Bankru…United States2018China's EPR and AP1000 FirstsChina2020Akademik Lomonosov: World's …2020UAE's Barakah Begins Operation2021Hualong One Enters Commercia…China2022Energy Crisis Triggers Globa…Global2022Zaporizhzhia: First Nuclear …Ukraine2023Vogtle 3: First New US React…United States2023Olkiluoto 3: First EPR in Eu…2023.04Germany Shuts Down Last Reac…Germany2023.12HTR-PM: World's First Modula…China2023.12COP28: 22 Nations Pledge to …International2024Vogtle 4 Completes — First N…United States2024Flamanville 3 EPR Connected …2024NRC Certifies NuScale SMR De…2024Tech Giants Invest in Nuclea…United States2025China Leads Global Nuclear C…China2025Belgium Reverses Nuclear Pha…2025Xiapu CFR-600: China's Demon…China2026Global Nuclear Capacity Reac…Global
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