| On This Day in American History |
|
|
|
On March 28, 1979, a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, overheats causing the most serious commercial nuclear power accident in United States history. While some plant workers were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation, no one outside the plant suffered adverse health effects. Still, the accident created a panic with over 100,000 people fleeing the area. In an effort to calm the public and offer advice, President Jimmy Carter, a nuclear engineer, visited the plant. Still, the incident severely damaged Americans’ opinion of nuclear power. |
|
|
