The first nuclear reactor was erected in 1942 in the West Stands section of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago
Item
Title
The first nuclear reactor was erected in 1942 in the West Stands section of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago
Description
The first nuclear reactor was erected in 1942 in the West Stands section of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago. On December 2, 1942 a group of scientists achieved the first self-sustaining chain reaction and thereby initiated the controlled release of nuclear energy. The reactor consisted of uranium and uranium oxide lumps spaced in a cubic lattice imbedded in graphite. In 1943 it was dismantled and reassembled at the Palos Park unit of the Argonne National Laboratory where it is still functioning. The sketch is by Melvin A. Miller of the Argonne National Laboratory.
Date, date span, or circa acceptable
1946
File name
National Archives Identifier: 558600
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/558600
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/558600
Sources archive, University Archives and Special Collections or Women and Leadership Archives
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Source
Series: Activities and Personnel of the Department of Energy and Predecessor Agencies, 1955 - 1979
Record Group 434: General Records of the Department of Energy, 1915 - 2007
Record Group 434: General Records of the Department of Energy, 1915 - 2007
Subject
Atomic bomb
Civil defense
Nuclear energy
Nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons
Civil defense
Nuclear energy
Nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons
Rights
Access Restriction(s):Unrestricted
Use Restriction(s):Unrestricted
Use Restriction(s):Unrestricted
