Interactive timeline

From fission's discovery to today's microreactor revival. Filter by the kind of event.

  1. 1938 science

    Nuclear fission discovered

    Hahn, Strassmann, Meitner and Frisch identify and explain fission of uranium — the physical basis of all that follows.

  2. 1942 science

    First self-sustaining chain reaction

    Fermi's Chicago Pile-1 demonstrates a controlled chain reaction under the stands of Stagg Field.

  3. 1951 milestone

    First electricity from fission (EBR-I)

    Experimental Breeder Reactor I in Idaho lights four light bulbs — the first usable electric power from nuclear energy.

  4. 1954 history

    USS Nautilus & the Rickover model

    The first nuclear submarine launches. Admiral Rickover's naval reactors program sets a standard of engineering discipline the civilian sector still references.

  5. 1957 milestone

    Shippingport goes online

    The first full-scale US civilian nuclear power plant begins operating in Pennsylvania.

  6. 1961 accident

    SL-1 accident

    A small US Army reactor accident kills three operators — an early, formative lesson in reactor safety culture.

  7. 1965 science

    Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment

    Oak Ridge runs a molten-salt test reactor through 1969 — the proof-of-concept the modern LFTR/MSR revival builds on.

  8. 1979 accident

    Three Mile Island

    A partial meltdown in Pennsylvania releases little radiation but reshapes US regulation and public perception for a generation.

  9. 1986 accident

    Chernobyl

    A flawed RBMK reactor with no Western containment explodes during a test — the worst nuclear accident in history, and a case study in design and culture.

  10. 2011 accident

    Fukushima Daiichi

    A tsunami causes three meltdowns. No confirmed acute radiation deaths, but the evacuation causes significant harm — a debate that defines the 2010s.

  11. 2016 milestone

    Watts Bar 2 — last of an era

    The last large US reactor of the old build cycle enters service after a decades-long pause.

  12. 2023 milestone

    Vogtle 3 online; NuScale/UAMPS cancelled

    The first new-from-scratch US reactor in 30+ years starts up in Georgia — the same month the flagship NuScale SMR project is cancelled. The two faces of nuclear's moment.

  13. 2024 milestone

    Vogtle 4 & the ADVANCE Act

    Vogtle 4 enters commercial operation and Congress passes the ADVANCE Act to modernize NRC licensing — the clearest policy tailwind in decades.

  14. 2025 frontier

    Microreactors & the data-center demand surge

    Project Pele fuel deliveries, Army's Janus program, and AI/data-center power demand drive fresh commercial interest in advanced and small reactors.