Entire Collection
Graphite Brick Sample from Chicago Pile-1
Specifications
Graphite Brick Sample from Chicago Pile-1
Category
Science and Technology
Classification
CHENHALL - Tools & Equipment for Materials - Glass, Plastics & Clayworking T&E - Slab, Graphite
CHENHALL - Energy Production T&E - Power Producing Equipment
Object Origin
University of Chicago - Metallurgical Laboratory
1942
Physical Characteristics
Object Description: Sample of graphite sealed in acrylic; from the world's first self-sustained nuclear reaction which occurred at the University of Chicago. December 2, 1942
Marks: GRAPHITE FROM CP-1 / FIRST NUCLEAR REACTOR / DECEMBER 2, 1942 / STAGG FIELD—THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Measurements: Case:
Height: 3.18 in, Length: 2.1116 in
Credit
Gift of Cedric L. Chernick, 1998.1.1
Display Status
Not On View
Graphite Brick Sample from Chicago Pile-1
About: Graphite Brick Sample from Chicago Pile-1
About: Graphite Brick Sample from Chicago Pile-1
Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) was an Italian-American physicist who played a key role in the development of the first nuclear reactor, known as Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1). In 1942, Fermi and his team successfully created the world’s first sustained nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago. The reactor was built using uranium and graphite, and Fermi's work showed that it was possible to control nuclear energy, which was a crucial step in the development of both nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. The achievement was a major milestone in the Manhattan Project, which later led to the creation of the atomic bomb. Chicago Pile-1 was built in a makeshift lab under the stands of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago. It consisted of uranium fuel surrounded by graphite blocks, which acted as moderators to slow down neutrons and sustain the nuclear chain reaction. On December 2, 1942, Fermi and his team achieved a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction for the first time in history, which was a incredible scientific breakthrough. This event marked the beginning of the nuclear age, and it showed that it was possible to use nuclear reactions to release energy in a controlled manner. This is a piece of graphite from the original Chicago Pile-1 reactor, and it symbolizes this crucial moment in the history of science and technology.
Additional information
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