On December 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi obtained the first chain reaction controlled fission in Chicago Pile-1 underneath Stagg Field in Chicago.
The cards show the 94 MWe prototype fast breeder reactor near Detroit named for Fermi, who died in 1954. Fermi Unit 1 started construction in 1957, achieved criticality in 1963, and went into "high power" ascension in December 1965.
On October 5, 1966 Fermi 1 suffered a partial fuel meltdown. According to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, there was no abnormal radiation release to the environment. Nearly four years later, Fermi 1 was restarted. In November 1972, the Power Reactor Development Company made the decision to decommission Fermi 1. Fermi Unit 2, a General Electric Boiling Water Reactor received an operating license in 1985. Fermi Unit 3, an ESBWR, is under consideration.
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