The event[]
The event at the experimental prototype L-IV nuclear reactor led to an axident consisting of a steam explosion and reactor fire in Leipzig, Nazi Germany on June 23rd, 1942.
The L-IV test, indicated that the spherical geometry, with five metric tons of heavy water and 10 metric tons of metallic uranium, could sustain a fission reaction.
The fire and subsequent explosion was the world's first nuclear accident in history. 4 people died during it and it has a unofficial INES accident rating of 4.
Whilst the accident is not a Cold War era accident it was the first of them all!
Also see[]
Sources[]
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig_L-IV_experiment_accident
- http://www.deutsches-museum.de/archiv/archiv-online/geheimdokumente/forschungszentren/leipzig/
- http://umweltfairaendern.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ArnoldHeinrich-Zu-einem-autobiographischen-Brief-von-Robert-Doepel-an-Fritz-Stratmann-ilm1-2012200288.pdf.