Meltdown Occurs in the First Breeder Reactor
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Ecology and the Environment Series
- Categories: Science, Environmental Issues, Disasters
- Subcategories: Nuclear Weapons, Power, Radiation, Ecology, Environment, Conservation
- Curriculum: American History 1951-present
- Geographical Location: Idaho
- Date: November 29, 1955
Article abstract: An accidental meltdown in the core of the Experimental Breeder Reactor occurred four years after it became the world’s first nuclear reactor to generate electricity.
Summary of Event
On November 29, 1955, an accidental meltdown of about one-half of the reactor core of the Experimental Breeder Reactor 1 (EBR-1) occurred at the National Reactor Testing Station at Arco, Idaho. The EBR-1 was completed by the Argonne National Laboratory in August, 1951, and became the first nuclear reactor to generate electricity when it produced more than...
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