General Overview
The Chernobyl nuclear accident took place in Pripyat, Ukraine. Ukraine at the time was part of the Soviet Union. The Chernobyl incident released a nuclear blast that was 400 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. The explosion took place in 1986 and was the result of an inexperienced crew messed up testing the turbines inside Reactor 4. This led to a chain reaction and explosions occured inside the reactor. It took multiple days to put out the nuclear fire.
April 25, 1986 (Pripyat, Ukraine)
The Chernobyl accident took place in 1986 in Pripyat. This event took place when the Chernobyl 4 reactor exploded. Only 2 people died on the day it exploded but more died in the following times due to radiation poisoning. Bordering countries were also impacted by the nuclear meltdown.
Pripyat Ferris Wheel
This ferris wheel is part of an amusement park that was set to open on May 1, 1986. It is disputed if the park ever opened but it was set to open on may 1st for may day. The park was abandoned when authorities made everyone evacuate the city. The ferris wheel appeared in call of duty: modern warfare.
Reactor 4
Site of the explosion. This is where the fire burned for multiple days.
Wildlife
The radiation is still impacting the wildlife that lives in Pripyat. Many sources say that the lack of humans in this area is making wildlife grow. But a new report that was posted in "Biology Letters", states that wildlife that lives inside the exclusion zone is declining. The abundance of animals in radiation zones declined when more radiation is present.
Chernobyl Now
1.7 million people have been exposed to high radiation levels. This event's effects on the ecosystem are still being figured out. Most land is unusable for farming and most areas are completely contaminated. Some firewood, when turned into ash, can still contaminate things. Victims are still being effected today and are at risk for many illnesses with the risks getting higher as they get older.
Importance
This event had a very large impact on history. One reason was that it led to advances in safety in industrial areas. It showed how important that trained personnel has to do important things within the workplace. Another reason was that it helped the USSR fall. If this event never happened then the USSR may have survived a little longer and wouldve changed history as we know it.
Videos
Sources
Shearman, Sarah. "Radiation continuing to affect Chernobyl wildlife." Geographical, June 2009, p. 9. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=catholiccenhs&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA201801354&asid=2341dd2c2289b394d49b48bf4eff45ca. Accessed 2 May 2017.
"Chernobyl Accident 1986." World Nuclear Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2017.
Bequette, France. "Chernobyl today." UNESCO Courier, Apr. 1996, p. 43+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=catholiccenhs&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA18365789&asid=35cb7673c8dc80af604bf23053ec5f61. Accessed 2 May 2017.
Stone, Richard. "The long shadow of Chernobyl: twenty years ago, operators committed a fatal series of errors here in the control room of reactor number four. The explosion that followed still blights land and lives." National Geographic, Apr. 2006, p. 32+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=catholiccenhs&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA144566159&it=r&asid=0060c92a427e4c4d12c9f19422a65f50. Accessed 2 May 2017.