Tech History Made on December 20, 1951

On this day in 1951 the world's first electricity-generating nuclear power plant went into production. It only produced enough power to light four 200-watt light bulbs, but that's enough to count! The Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-1) is still located in the Idaho desert 18 miles southwest of the town of Arco, but has been decommissioned since 1964. By the time it was closed the reactor was able to generate enough energy to power its building. The purpose of the reactor was not to build an effective power plant, but to prove that a breeder reactor was even possible. Today, it is a US National Historic Landmark and open to be toured by visitors.