History of Nuclear Fission
On December 17, 1938, German chemist Otto Hahn and his assistant Fritz Strassmann discovered the nuclear fission of heavy elements into two lighter nuclei. In 1939, physicist Lise Meitner explained the process theoretically. The fission of a nucleus is an exothermic reaction, releasing large amounts of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation and kinetic energy (in the movement of atomic fragments). In 1942, Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi and his coworkers created the first prototype of the nuclear reactor at the University of Chicago. Scientists in the 1950's began researching ways to utilize nuclear fission energy for commercial energy use, and in 1956 the first commercial electricity-generating plant powered by nuclear energy began production at Calder Hall in Windscale, England. Research into more efficient nuclear energy plants is still underway, but this sustainable, clean-air energy source is slowly overtaking traditional fossil fuel energy plants.