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Milestone

First Nuclear Chain Reaction

Mid-Century Power Transformations

On 2 December 1942, in a squash court beneath the stands of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, the reactor called Chicago Pile-1 went critical under the direction of Enrico Fermi: the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. Energy from the atomic nucleus passed that afternoon from theory to engineering.

Facts
Milestone Year
1942 1
Milestone Date
1942-12-02 1
Location
University of Chicago, Illinois, United States 1
Connections

Credited To

Enrico Fermi, Pioneers
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Leo Szilard, Pioneers

Szilard co-built Chicago Pile 1 with Enrico Fermi and co-holds the chain reaction patent.

In the Other Atlases

Located In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is located.

Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
  • Britannica, 'nuclear reactor' article, History of reactor development section
    On December 2, 1942, Fermi reported having produced the first self-sustaining chain reaction. His reactor, later called Chicago Pile No. 1 (CP-1), was made of pure graphite in which uranium metal slugs were loaded toward the centre with uranium oxide lumps around the edges.
  • Credited To: Enrico Fermi
View the Source
Wikipedia: Chicago Pile-1
  • Chicago Pile-1, first self-sustaining chain reaction
    On 2 December 1942, the first human-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated in CP-1 during an experiment led by Enrico Fermi.
  • In Group: Nuclear Power Firsts, Lead
    On 2 December 1942, the first human-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated in CP-1 during an experiment led by Enrico Fermi.
View the Source
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