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When did Enrico Fermi's Chicago Pile-1 first achieve a self-sustaining chain reaction?
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Schematic diagram of a nuclear power plant using a pressurized-water reactor.
Enrico Fermi's Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) first achieved a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction on December 2, 1942.123
The experiment took place under the football stands at the University of Chicago as part of the Manhattan Project. The reactor, which was constructed using graphite blocks as a moderator and uranium as fuel, successfully demonstrated that a nuclear reaction could be initiated, controlled, and stopped. This milestone served as a critical prototype for the development of larger nuclear reactors and the advancement of nuclear technology.143