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After World War II, Oak Ridge retained its function as a nuclear research center. While scientific experiments continued under the secretive veil of the laboratories and production facilities,
“homemade” experiments—like the link trainer depicted…

In addition to long lines, inadequate housing, and shortages of meat and cigarettes, Oak Ridgers also had to contend with mud. With the seeming constant addition of miles of roadways, most of which went unpaved, mud was a formidable obstacle in one’s…

The X-10 Graphite Reactor is a decommissioned nuclear reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Formerly known as the Clinton Pile and X-10 Pile, it was the world's second artificial nuclear reactor (after Enrico Fermi's…

Designed and built in ten months, X-10 was a graphite reactor that used neutrons emitted in the fission of uranium-235 to convert uranium-238 into a new element: plutonium-239, the highly radioactive substance that was the key to the development of…

Originally only intended for 12,000 residents, the Oak Ridge site of the Manhattan Project grew to 75,000 individuals by 1945. Such phenomenal growth placed high demands on the city’s support systems and infrastructures. Consequently, much hard work…