At 5 a.m. on Nov. 4, 1943, the Graphite Reactor achieved criticality, making it the world's first continuously operated nuclear reactor. Its success set the stage for ORNL, then known as X-10, to move forward as a scientific institution after the end of World War II. ⚛️ See how ORNL has evolved from a top-secret laboratory to a world leader in #supercomputing, #materials research, #isotopes and #cleanenergy. ⤵️ #ORNL80 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory

History Fragments | Real Historical Footage on Instagram: "The night Chernobyl changed the world forever April 26, 1986. 01:23 a.m. At Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, engineers were running a late-night experiment. They wanted to test whether the turbine could briefly power emergency systems after shutdown. To avoid interruptions, several automatic safety systems were отключені. That decision became fatal. The RBMK reactor was operating at dangerously low power — a state in w

TechnologyARMY on Instagram: "Chernobyl’s Reactor No. 4 was not an ordinary machine. It was an RBMK-1000—one of the Soviet Union’s most powerful energy sources. But hidden inside its design was a fatal flaw. ☢️⚠️ On April 26, 1986, during what was supposed to be a simple safety test, that flaw was exposed. As cooling water turned into steam, the reactor’s power didn’t drop—it spiraled out of control. Within minutes, it became a massive explosion. Its graphite-moderated design intensified the dis