DOE-NE-0088

Chronology of
Nuclear Research and
Development
The '40s
1942 December 2. The first self-sustaining nuclear
chain reaction occurs at the University of Chicago.
1945 July 16. The U.S. Army’s Manhattan Engineer
District (MED) tests the first atomic bomb at
Alamogordo, New Mexico, under the code name
Manhattan Project.
1945 August 6. The atomic bomb nicknamed Little
Boy is dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days
later, another bomb, Fat Man, is dropped on
Nagasaki, Japan. Japan surrenders on August 15,
ending World War II.
1946 August 1. The Atomic Energy Act of 1946
creates the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to
control nuclear energy development and explore
peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
1947 October 6. The AEC first investigates the
possibility of peaceful uses of atomic energy, issuing
a report the following year.
1949 March 1. The AEC announces the selection of a
site in Idaho for the National Reactor Testing
Station.
The '50s
1951 December 20. In Arco, Idaho, Experimental
Breeder Reactor I produces the first electric power
from nuclear energy, lighting four light bulbs.
1952 June 14. Keel for the Navy's first nuclear
submarine, Nautilus, is laid at Groton,
Connecticut.
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