Atomic Age

The Physics FoundationChain Reaction & The BombAtoms for PeaceThe Great ExpansionTMI & The SlowdownChernobyl & Nuclear WinterThe Nuclear RenaissanceFukushima & The ReckoningThe Nuclear Comeback1900191019201930194019501960197019801990200020102020DiscoveryDesignPlantMilestoneRegulationSafety1895Discovery of X-RaysGermany · WürzburgDiscovery1896Radioactivity DiscoveredFrance · ParisDiscovery1898Polonium and Radium IsolatedFrance · ParisDiscovery1905E = mc² PublishedGermany · Bern, SwitzerlandDiscovery1911Discovery of the Atomic NucleusUnited Kingdom · ManchesterDiscovery1913Bohr Model of the Atom1919First Artificial Nuclear React…United Kingdom · ManchesterDiscovery1932.02Discovery of the NeutronUnited Kingdom · CambridgeDiscovery1932.04First Atom Split by Artificial…United Kingdom · CambridgeDiscovery1934Artificial Radioactivity Disco…1934.10Fermi's Neutron Bombardment Ex…Italy · RomeDiscovery1938.12Nuclear Fission DiscoveredGermany · BerlinDiscovery1939.01Fission Confirmed and Chain Re…Denmark · CopenhagenDiscovery1939.08Einstein–Szilard Letter to Roo…United States · Washington, D.C.Regulation1942.06Manhattan Project BeginsUnited States · Multiple sitesMilestone1942.12Chicago Pile-1: First Self-Sus…United States · Chicago, IllinoisMilestone1943X-10 Graphite Reactor Begins O…1944.09Hanford B Reactor Begins Pluto…United States · Hanford, WashingtonPlant1945.07Trinity Test: First Nuclear De…United States · Alamogordo, New MexicoMilestone1945.08Atomic Bombing of HiroshimaJapan · HiroshimaMilestone1945.08Atomic Bombing of NagasakiJapan · NagasakiMilestone1946Clementine — First Fast Neutro…1946.08U.S. Atomic Energy Act SignedUnited States · Washington, D.C.Regulation1948First Nuclear Reactor in Weste…1949.08Soviet Union Tests First Nucle…Soviet Union · Semipalatinsk, KazakhstanMilestone1951.12EBR-I: First Electricity from …United States · Arco, IdahoMilestone1953.03First Nuclear-Powered Submarin…United States · Idaho Falls, IdahoDesign1953.12Eisenhower's 'Atoms for Peace'…United States · New York CityRegulation1954.06Obninsk: World's First Nuclear…Soviet Union · Obninsk, Kaluga OblastPlant1954.08Atomic Energy Act of 1954United States · Washington, D.C.Regulation1954.09USS Nautilus CommissionedUnited States · Groton, ConnecticutDesign1955.08First Geneva Conference on Pea…Switzerland · GenevaRegulation1956.08Calder Hall: First Commercial …United Kingdom · Sellafield, CumbriaPlant1957.07IAEA EstablishedAustria · ViennaRegulation1957.09First U.S. Commercial Reactor:…United States · Shippingport, PennsylvaniaPlant1957.10Windscale Fire — First Major R…United Kingdom · Windscale (Sellafield), CumbriaSafety1958First French Nuclear Reactor R…1959Dresden-1: First Privately Fun…1960Yankee Rowe: Pioneer PWR1960First Naval Nuclear Propulsion…1962EBR-I Proves Breeder Reactor C…1963Jersey Central Orders Oyster C…United States · Lacey Township, New JerseyMilestone1964.10China's First Nuclear Weapon T…1965First CANDU Reactor: Douglas P…1966India's First Research Reactor1966.10Fermi-1 Partial Meltdown1968.07Nuclear Non-Proliferation Trea…International · Washington, London, MoscowRegulation1969Beznau-1: World's Oldest Opera…1970Peak of the 'Nuclear Bandwagon…GlobalMilestone1973Oil Crisis Accelerates Nuclear…GlobalRegulation1974France's Messmer Plan: All-Nuc…France · ParisRegulation1974.05India's First Nuclear Test ('S…1975Browns Ferry Fire1977Carter Bans ReprocessingUnited States · Washington, D.C.Regulation1978Japan's Nuclear Fleet Expansion1979US Nuclear Regulatory Commissi…1979INPO Established1979.03Three Mile Island AccidentUnited States · Middletown, PennsylvaniaSafety1980Sweden Votes to Phase Out Nucl…1982Nuclear Waste Policy Act1983Superphénix: World's Largest F…1986Post-Chernobyl International R…GlobalRegulation1986.04Chernobyl DisasterSoviet Union · Pripyat, Ukrainian SSRSafety1987Italy Phases Out Nuclear Power1988France Achieves 75% Nuclear El…France · ParisMilestone1991South Korea's Nuclear Rise1994China's First Commercial Nucle…China · Zhejiang / GuangdongPlant1996Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban…1996World's First AP600 Design Cer…1999.09Tokaimura Criticality Accident2000U.S. Nuclear Capacity Factors …2002Finland Orders Olkiluoto 3 — F…2005U.S. Energy Policy Act: Nuclea…2006Generation IV International Fo…2007NRC Receives First New Reactor…2009UAE Awards Contract for Baraka…2011Germany Announces Nuclear Phas…Germany · BerlinRegulation2011Japan Shuts Down All ReactorsJapan · TokyoRegulation2011.03Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disa…Japan · Ōkuma, FukushimaSafety2012Vogtle 3 & 4 Licensed — First …United States · Waynesboro, GeorgiaPlant2013China Becomes World's Largest …China · BeijingMilestone2015Paris Climate Agreement Recogn…2016Watts Bar 2: First New US Reac…2017Westinghouse Declares BankruptcyUnited States · Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaMilestone2018China's EPR and AP1000 FirstsChina · Guangdong / ZhejiangPlant2020Akademik Lomonosov: World's Fi…2020UAE's Barakah Begins Operation2021Hualong One Enters Commercial …China · Fuqing, FujianPlant2022Energy Crisis Triggers Global …GlobalRegulation2022Zaporizhzhia: First Nuclear Pl…Ukraine · Enerhodar, ZaporizhzhiaSafety2023Vogtle 3: First New US Reactor…United States · Waynesboro, GeorgiaPlant2023Olkiluoto 3: First EPR in Europe2023.04Germany Shuts Down Last ReactorsGermany · BerlinRegulation2023.12HTR-PM: World's First Modular …China · Rongcheng, ShandongPlant2023.12COP28: 22 Nations Pledge to Tr…International · Dubai, UAERegulation2024Vogtle 4 Completes — First New…United States · Waynesboro, GeorgiaPlant2024Flamanville 3 EPR Connected to…2024NRC Certifies NuScale SMR Design2024Tech Giants Invest in Nuclear …United StatesMilestone2025China Leads Global Nuclear Con…China · Multiple sitesMilestone2025Belgium Reverses Nuclear Phase…2025Xiapu CFR-600: China's Demonst…China · Xiapu, FujianPlant2026Global Nuclear Capacity Reache…GlobalMilestone