Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
At a glance:
- Series: Chronology of European History
- Categories: Government and Politics, Science, Technology, Inventions, Environmental Issues, Disasters
- Subcategories: Earth Sciences, Nuclear Weapons, Power, Radiation, Pollution, Toxic Waste
- Curriculum: 20th & 21st Century European History, Russian/Former Soviet States History
- Geographical Location: Soviet Union, Ukraine
- Date: April 26, 1986
Article abstract: The Chernobyl nuclear disaster spreads radioactive material over much of Europe, killing several hundred people, contaminating crops and animals, and undermining public confidence in the nuclear industry.
Summary of Event
In late April of 1986, reactor 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear plant was scheduled for shutdown for annual maintenance. The operators planned to test how long the plant’s turbines, which generate electricity from the steam produced from the heat given off in nuclear decay, could produce electric power after the steam was...
[The entire page is 1620 words long]
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