Three Mile Island: What Happened
On March 28, 1979, a series of malfunctions, mistakes, and misinterpretations led to the worst nuclear accident the United States has ever seen, and nearly led to the worst of all possible disasters: total meltdown.
What exactly happened within Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant?
This feature is divided into two parts. The first, How a Nuclear Reactor Works, is a brief description of Three Mile Island's reactor design. The second, What Happened: Step-by-Step, is an interactive timeline, showing the series of events that took place during the first 16 hours of the incident.
How a Nuclear Reactor Works
What Happened: Step-by-Step (Shockwave -- 105K)
A copy of the Shockwave plugin is needed to view this timeline. You can download the Shockwave plugin from Macromedia's Web site.
Text version of "What Happened: Step-by-Step"
|
PBS Terms of Use Privacy Policy
Pledge Your Support
Stories to Go