The seemingly limitless power of the atom has been harnessed by scientists around the world since the Enola Gay flew over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and dropped the second atomic bomb, revealing this new form of energy to the world. The key to harnessing the energy of nuclear fission in a stable reaction soon followed, ushering in the nuclear age. Russia, having become a superpower and a major industrial center, discovered special needs for nuclear fission. Between 1980 and 1990, the Russian Federation's gross democratic product grew by 2.8% per year, comparable to the United States' 2.9%. To fuel this growth, the only cheap, affordable and efficient means of producing energy was nuclear power. The fission of 1 pound of uranium-235 produces as much energy as 1,500 tons of coal. The Cold War only increased this demand, and soon reactors served a dual purpose: providing energy and producing weapons-grade plutonium. In fact, the first reactors were designed to make plutonium and not to produce electricity. But everything has its faults, and nuclear energy is no exception, with one of the heaviest repercussions in the event of an accident. April 26, 1986 is a prime example. Chernobyl is not the first nuclear accident the world has experienced, but it is certainly the worst in years to come. Previous accidents such as that at Three Mile Island in the United States, Indian Point near New York, and a partial meltdown in Leningrad predated Chernobyl. However, the 100 million curies of radiation emitted by the RMBK-1000 reactor places Chernobyl on a completely different scale than previous accidents. Failure to prevent, contain and effectively respond to emitted radiation...... middle of paper ......PS. Automatic controls should have been extended to almost all areas allowing normal operational limits to be maintained, especially given the quality of scientists around Chernobyl. Izmailov, a veteran of Glavatomenergo, said: “It was practically impossible for us to find someone in the central management who knew about reactors and nuclear physics. But at the same time, accounting, procurement and planning departments have grown to incredible size. » Although this may seem a bit exaggerated, the fact remains that, in such incompetence, it would have made sense to entrust the majority of security and maintenance to an automated system. Seven years before Chernobyl, the nuclear reactor meltdown at Three Mile Island nuclear reactor near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Unlike Chernobyl, no one was injured in the March disaster. 18, 1979.