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Period: to
Nuclear Energy
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Discovery of Natural Radioactivity
Discovered by Henri Becquerel during his experiments. -
Discovery of Electrons
Discovered by J.J. Thomson during his experiments. -
Discovery of the Nucleus
Discovered by Ernest Rutherford during his alpha particle stream experiment. -
World War 1 Begins
Many factors led to the first world war. Primarily, the assassination of the Archduke of Austria and his wife. Conflicting alliances and territorial issues also came into play. -
U.S. Enters WW1
Germany became hostile to the U.S. because of the massive amounts of supplies and aid traded to Britain and France. We were supplying Germany's enemies. -
Einstein Publishes Theory of Relativity
Hypothesized that both time and space are relative, as opposed to being fixed. This thory was not immediately accepted by Einstein's fellow scientists. -
World War 1 Ends
Germany forced into submission, Imperial Germany is killed. The Allies declare victory. -
Discovery of the Proton
Chadwick, Thomson, and Rutherford all contributed to the gradual understanding of the atomic proton. -
Discovery of the Neutron
Discoverd by James Chadwick during his experiments. -
Discovery of Fission
Work done by Enrico Fermi, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, etc., leads to the discovery of what happens when a neutron hits a uranium atom. -
Fermi Wins Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1938 was awarded to Enrico Fermi "for his demonstrations of the existence of new radioactive elements produced by neutron irradiation, and for his related discovery of nuclear reactions brought about by slow neutrons". -
Beginnings of Manhattan Project
Was an R&D program that consisted of elite scientists, many that had defected from Germany and its surrounding countries after WW1. Developed many atomic weapons. -
World War 2 Begins
Various nations began invasions of other countries. Germany had regrouped since WW1, and Hitler seized power there. The Japanese became hostile to the U.S. because of our supply to their enemies. -
Letter to Roosevelt
Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt, telling him about the possibility of developing "extremely powerful bombs of a new type." -
Roosevelt Speaks at Pan American Congress
Roosevelt states that, while being a pacifist, will do whatever it takes to defend his people and their way of life. -
Discovery of Plutonium
Glenn Seaborg and his team of scientists first synthesized plutonium. -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese bombers and fighters invade Pearl Harbor, a naval harbor in Hawaii. 2402 Americans were killed. -
U.S. Enters World War 2
The U.S. officially declares war on Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. -
D-Day
Marked the Allied invasion of Normandy. -
V-Day
Also known as V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day, marked the Allied success of defeating Axis Powers in Europe. -
Plowshare
Was used to refer to the concept of using nuclear weapons for construction based purposes. -
Trinity
Was the first nuclear bomb detonated. Was detonated in New Mexico, and had a yield of 20 kilotons. -
Hiroshima
Japanese city that was hit with a U.S. atomic bomb codenamed "Little Boy," which was dropped by the Enola Gay. -
Nagasaki
Japanese city that was also bombed by a U.S. weapon. The plutonium bomb, "Fat Man," was dropped and caused about the same amount of damage as "Little Boy" did. -
World War 2 Ends
Japan surrendered unconditionally after the second bomb was dropped. The destruction of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced Japan into submission. The U.S. declares victory. -
V-J Day
Stood for Victory in Japan, marked the end of the Pacific war with Japan. -
Nuclear Energy Commission Begins
Was tasked with encouraging the use of nuclear energy as well as standardizing the safety regulations associated with it. -
Able
Nuclear weapon test that examined the effects of a detonation on ships in a fleet. It had a yield of 23 kilotons. -
Baker
Nuclear weapon test that examined the effects of an underwater detonation. It had a yield of 11 megatons. -
Klaus Fuchs Leaks Info to U.S.S.R.
German-British physicist that leaked sensitive information to the Soviets about U.S. nuclear weapons. -
X-Ray
Nuclear Test conducted in Nevada, had a yield of 37 kilotons. -
Yoke
Nuclear weapon test conducted on Aomon Island, had a yield of 49 kilotons. -
First Russian Bomb
Codenamed "First Lightning," used a plutonium design very similar to the "Fat Man." -
Civil Defense is Formed
Saw the production of a 162 page document detailing an ideal civil defense program, codenamed "The Blue Book." -
Ranger Able
Was the first U.S. detonation since Trinity, was only 1 kiloton. -
Greenhouse Easy
Nuclear weapon test, had a yield of 47 kilotons. -
Greenhouse George
Nuclear weapon test, had a yield of 225 kilotons. -
Greenhouse Item
Nuclear weapon test, had a yield of 45.5 kilotons. -
First Nuclear Test in Britain
"Hurricane," a nuclear weapon, was tested off the coast of Western Australia. Its yield is unknown. -
Ivey Mike
Nuclear weapon test of a fusion induced, hydrogen based reaction. Its yield was about 11 megatons. -
Upshot Knothole Encore
Nuclear weapon test, had a yield of 27 kilotons. -
Upshot Knothole Grable
Nuclear weapon test, had a yield of 15 kilotons. -
Atoms for Peace
Speech given by Eisenhower. The speech attempted to comfort the world about the use of nuclear weapons. Eisenhower insisted that Hiroshima and Nagasaki wouldn't happen again. -
First Nuclear Reactor for Electricity Production in World
Calder Hall, in Sellafield, England begins producing electricity using nuclear power. It initially had an output of 50 MW. -
Teak
Was an exoatmospheric nuclear test that had a yield of about 3.8 megatons. -
Cactus
Nuclear weapon test that had a yield of 18 kilotons. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Tense thirteen day standoff involving the U.S., Russia, and Cuba. Nuclear missiles were sighted being prepared in Cuba and caused mass panic in the U.S. President Kennedy oversaw peaaceful negotiations. -
Limited Test Ban Treaty
Treaty that aimed to slow the nuclear arms race as well as stop all the nuclear fallout from further affecting the planet. -
First Chinese Test
Codenamed 596, was a uranium implosion device capable of yielding 22 kilotons. -
Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty
Treaty that establishes nuclear regulations for participating countries. The three main ideas of the treaty call for non-proliferation, disarmament, and the right to peacefully use nuclear technology. -
First Nuclear Test for France
Nuclear weapon test, codenamed the "blue jerboa." -
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty Number 1
Was a series of negotiations between Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev regarding the continued manufacturing of nuclear weapons. -
Outer Space Treaty
Treaty that bans all participants from placing nuclear weapons in space. -
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty 2
Was a series of negotiations between Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev regarding the continued manufacturing of nuclear weapons. -
First Nuclear Test for India
Nuclear weapon testing begins in India. The prime minister makes it clear that India will indeed use the weapons if needed. Economic sanctions are placed on India. -
First Nuclear Reactor for Electricity Production in U.S.
The Shippingport PWR nuclear reactor was the first commercial reactor. -
First Nuclear Reactor in Florida
The Progress Energy Florida's Levy nuclear power plant was the first in Florida. -
Last Reactor Built in the U.S.
Was the Watts Bar 2 reactor in Tennessee. -
First Nuclear Test for Israel
Very little details exist about the origins of Israel's nuclear weapons. -
Last Soviet Test
Was the final nuclear weapon test for Russia. -
Last Atmospheric U.S. Test
Codenamed "Sedan," is the most recent U.S. nuclear weapon test. -
Last U.S. Test
Codenamed "Sedan," is the most recent U.S. nuclear weapon test. -
Last French Test
Was the final test of French nuclear weapons. There were 210 tests in total conducted by the French. -
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
Bans all nuclear explosions, no matter what the situation. -
Last Test by India
Codenamed "Shakti," was India's most recent nuclear weapon test. -
First Nuclear Test for Pakistan
Codenamed "Kirana 1," had a yield of about 25 kilotons. -
Last Pakistani Test
Codenamed Chagai 2, took place in the Kharan Desert. -
University of Florida Builds Nuclear Reactor
Serves as a training reactor, and runs on low power enriched uranium. -
First Nuclear Test for North Korea
North Korea's first nuclear test creates a 3.58 magnitude earthquake near the blast. -
Tsar Bomba
Largest nuclear weapon ever detonated, had a yield of 50 megatons. -
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
Treaty between U.S. and Russia banning armaments of warheads on ICBM's. -
Latest Commission for a Nuclear Reactor in the U.S.
The NRC allows licenses for construction of more nuclear reactors, something that hasn't been done for about thirty years.
