Dec. 1942

CPI West Stands, Stagg field, Chicago, USA

First man-made self-sustaining chain reaction. Graphite-natura uranium (uncooled)

1943

'X' Reactor, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA

First plutonium breeding reactor. Graphite-natural uranium

July 1945

Alamogardo, New Mexico, USA

First nuclear explosion

Aug. 1945

Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan

First use of atomic bombs

Sept. 1945

Soviet Union

First reactor in USSR

1947

Harwell, UK

First British nuclear reactor-Gleep

Aug. 1947

USSR

First Soviet nuclear bomb test

1949

USA

Start of research on nuclear powered submarines

1950

USSR

Decision to build a power reactor

1948-1952

Harwell/Risley, UK

Evaluation work on graphite moderated, carbon dioxide-cooled plutonium and power reactor

June 1952

Groton, Connecticut, USA

Keel of first nuclear

Dec. 1952

Canada

Reactor accident (NRX) submarine laid

Mar. 1953

Idaho, USA

Land based PWR, 'first power reactor'

Apr.

1953 Risley, UK

Work started on Calder Hall-graphite moderated, gas-cooled

1953 onwards

USA

Work relevant to technology of in-core boiling

Oct. 1953

Shippingport, Pennsylvania, USA

Building of PWR nuclear plant announced

June 1954

Obninsk, USSR

First nuclear power station operated-graphite moderated, pressurised water cooled

Aug. 1955

Geneva, Switzerland

First International Atomic Energy Conference