PLENTIFUL ENERGY

Figure 1-2. West stands of the Stagg Field of the University of Chicago,
the site of Chicago Pile-1
Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) first ―went critical,‖ beginning operation on December 2,
1942. (―Pile,‖ it was called, because it was assembled from uranium chunks in
graphite blocks piled high enough to achieve criticality. This term for a nuclear
reactor was used for some years, but the usage has long since died out.) (Figures 1-
3 and -4) More reactors were to be built, different reactor types for a variety of
purposes, and the University was situated in a densely populated area on Chicago‘s
South Side. Given that the war was on, a more remote site had actually been
originally chosen for CP-1, but it was not complete when the scientists were ready
to go ahead. So, a squash court just south of downtown Chicago became the site of
the world‘s first nuclear reactor.
Figure 1-3. World‘s first reactor Chicago Pile-1
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