Historical Events tagged with "criticality"
Turns out history loves a label—battles, breakthroughs, and the occasional disaster, all neatly tagged for your browsing pleasure. Because sometimes you just need every weird invention in one place.
Nuclear accident in Tokaimura claims lives of technicians
In a severe nuclear accident at the JCO uranium processing plant in Tokaimura, Japan, two workers, Yoshihiro Yamashita and Masato Shinohara, died following a criticality incident caused by negligence and improper procedures. The incident led to widespread contamination and initiated a national debate over nuclear safety protocols and regulations. Emergency responders struggled to contain the radioactive leak while the local community was alerted and evacuated nearby areas as a precautionary measure. The event drew attention to the vulnerabilities in Japan’s nuclear energy practices and reinforced the need for stricter safety measures.
Continue ReadingLouis Slotin Fatally Irradiated at Los Alamos
During an experiment with the demon core at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, physicist Louis Slotin was fatally irradiated due to a criticality incident. Using a meticulous manual method to approach critical mass, Slotin inadvertently caused a prompt critical reaction. This resulted in an intense burst of radiation exposure, which later proved to be fatal.
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