Blog post #1 HUM101

Blog post #1
　
Nuclear power was conceived in 1942, with the first successful controlled nuclear chain reaction. This experiment was conducted in secrecy, under the bleachers at the University of Chicago. Later in 1942, the first atomic bomb was produced and tested. Testing took place at Alamagordo in New Mexico. This successful test led to the dropping of two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II. After the war, researchers began to use nuclear energy to produce electricity. Nuclear reactors were built to produce steam to drive giant steam turbines that created the electricity. The first of these reactors were built in Idaho, December 1951. Nuclear energy was very popular up until the 1970s. From the 1970s to 2002 the nuclear power industry suffered declines and stagnation ( www.world-nuclear.org ). The projected demand for electricity and the growing concern for global warming are making nuclear energy more popular than ever. Even recently, President Obama stated he would like to see more nuclear power plants built. Gas, oil, and coal are the dominant energy sources that are in use now (www.ecolo.org). These fossil fuels are being exhausted rapidly and are at the center of attention for being the cause of pollution and global warming. I believe that nuclear energy could replace fossil fuels all together. Nuclear energies are cleaner, produce small amounts of waste that are easy to manage, and have absolutely no global effect. If well managed nuclear energy could be sustained very long term.