-
Theory of realtiveity
Albert Einstein introduces his theory of realitiveity -
Cockcroft and Walton split the atom
British physicist John Cockcroft teams with Ernest Walton of Ireland to split the atom with protons accelerated to high speed -
Uranium atoms are split
Physicists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann of Germany, along with Lise Meitner of Austria and her nephew Otto Frisch, split uranium atoms in a process known as fission. The mass of some of the atoms converts into energy, thus proving Einstein’s original theory. -
First controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction
Italian-born physicist and Nobel winner Enrico Fermi and his colleagues at the University of Chicago achieve the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in which neutrons released during the splitting of the atom continue splitting atoms and releasing more neutrons -
Manhattan Project
The U.S. Army’s top-secret atomic energy program, known as the Manhattan Project, employs scientists in Los Alamos, New Mexico, under the direction of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, to develop the first transportable atomic bomb -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
To force the Japanese to surrender and end World War II, the United States drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima, an important army depot and port of embarkation, and Nagasaki, a coastal city where the Mitsubishi torpedoes used in the attack on Pearl Harbor were made -
Plans to commercialize nuclear power
The U.S. government’s Argonne National Laboratory, announce plans to commercialize nuclear power to produce electricity for consumer use -
Atomic Energy Act of 1954
The U.S. Congress passes the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, amending the 1946 act to allow the Atomic Energy Commission to license private companies to use nuclear materials and also to build and operate nuclear power plants -
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is formed with 18 member countries to promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Today it has 130 members -
Chernobyl
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurs in Ukraine during unauthorized experiments when four pressurized-water reactors overheat, releasing their water coolant as steam. The hydrogen formed by the steam causes two major explosions and a fire, releasing radioactive particles into the atmosphere that drift over much of the European continent
