History of nuclear power - Summary on a Map
History of nuclear power - Summary on a Map
Let’s retrace on a map a summary of the history of civilian and military nuclear power since the discovery of radioactivity.
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geohistory
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English translation \u0026 voiceover: Rahul Venkit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD1X…
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Original French version: • Histoire du nucléaire civil et milita…
Russian version: • Ядерная энергия - история на карте
Arabic version: • النووي - تاريخ النووي العسكري و المدني
Spanish version: • El nuclear - Historia de la energía n…
Portuguese version (Brazil): Coming soon
Japanese version: • 原子力と核兵器の歴史
German version: • Die Geschichte der Atommächte - Zusam…
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Music: Whitefish Salad - Latasha (YouTube Library)
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Software used for editing: Adobe After Effects
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Chapter
00:00 Scientific research
01:29 The Manhattan Project
02:52 The atomic bomb
04:09 First uses
04:59 Cold War
06:05 Nuclear power
07:26 Nuclear threat
08:31 Non-proliferation
09:34 Nuclear power
11:22 Proliferation
12:48 Nuclear waste
13:24 Fukushima
14:19 Current situation and future
#geohistory #history #nuclear #coldwar #fukushima #chernobyl
Content
0.08 -> We begin in 1896.
2.76 -> In Paris, physicist Henri Becquerel accidentally
discovers during an experiment
7.7 -> that uranium leaves a trace -- or darkens -- a photographic plate without any other light source.
14.2 -> He concludes that uranium naturally emits
a ray he calls “uranique” in French.
20.28 -> In the following years, physicists Pierre
and Marie Curie
23.64 -> discover other elements that also naturally emit radiation.
28.24 -> They call the phenomenon radioactivity.
31.26 -> Later, Ernest Rutherford, a British physicist
born in New Zealand,
35.84 -> suggests that radioactivity is radiation that accompanies the disintegration of atoms,
41.72 -> which were previously considered to be indestructible.
45.76 -> Other findings are then used to better understand
the structure of the atom,
50.3 -> with electrons revolving around a nucleus composed of protons and neutrons.
56.58 -> In 1938, two German chemists, Hahn and Strassmann
discover nuclear fission.
63.4 -> Bombarding an atom of uranium with a neutron,
it is divided into two, releasing energy.
70 -> The following year in Paris, Frédéric Joliot-Curie
discovers that during the nuclear fission
75.92 -> of uranium, three neutrons are ejected which
in turn could cause further fission of atoms.
82.41 -> He discovers the ability to initiate a chain
reaction and thus produce a large amount of energy.
92.66 -> In Europe, World War II breaks out.
95.44 -> While Germany continues to conduct research
on uranium,
99.1 -> Albert Einstein is convinced by Hungarian physicists to sign a letter addressed to Roosevelt,
105.36 -> the President of the United States informing him of recent nuclear discoveries
110.02 -> and the possibility of creating a very powerful bomb using uranium.
115.16 -> The United States benefits from the influx
of European scientists
119.44 -> fleeing war and invests in research.
122.2 -> At the University of California, Glenn Seaborg
discovers that irradiated uranium produces
127.8 -> a tiny amount of plutonium, a new metal that is radioactive and fissile, i.e. it can trigger a chain reaction.
137.12 -> In Chicago, Enrico Fermi creates the first
atomic pile and - for the first time -
142.72 -> manages to control the first chain reaction of the
fission of uranium atoms.
148.86 -> Research is accelerated and substantial resources
are invested.
153.42 -> The United States secretly launches the Manhattan Project
157.32 -> in collaboration with Canada and the United Kingdom.
160.84 -> Top scientists gather in about 30 secret locations,
164.54 -> with the best laboratories at the time made available to them.
168.27 -> Their goal is to create the atomic bomb.
175.94 -> The goal is to create a bomb from uranium
and another from plutonium.
180.76 -> In nature, uranium is composed of more than
99% of Uranium 238,
186.68 -> i.e. with a nucleus of 92 protons and 146 neutrons,
191.94 -> and 0.7% of Uranium
235, with three neutrons less.
197.78 -> Only the latter is fissile and therefore useful
in the project.
202.34 -> The challenge is isolating and concentrating
it to obtain so-called enriched uranium.
208.849 -> The United States manages to produce 64 tons
of highly enriched uranium
213.82 -> to be used in the manufacture of the first bomb.
217.18 -> By propelling a highly enriched uranium block
onto another, the material becomes supercritical.
223.36 -> Fission begins and in a split second, a chain reaction ensues, releasing tremendous amounts of energy.
230.36 -> For a plutonium bomb, a maximum of uranium piles are created in order to collect the plutonium produced.
238.18 -> A few pounds are concentrated in the center
of the bomb.
241.88 -> By simultaneously causing explosions all around, the material is compressed,
246.82 -> becomes supercritical and explodes.
253.7 -> On 16 July 1945, the first successful nuclear
test takes place in the desert of New Mexico.
261.72 -> By this point, Germany had already surrendered.
265.06 -> Only the Empire of Japan is still at war against
the United States.
269.74 -> After Japan refuses to surrender unconditionally, the United States drops two atomic bombs on the country
276.74 -> a uranium bomb on Hiroshima
and a plutonium one on Nagasaki.
282.08 -> The two bombs cause about 200,000 civilian
casualties.
286.72 -> Days later, Japan surrenders.
289.34 -> With the United States demonstrating its power
to the world,
292.78 -> the USSR accelerates its own nuclear program to try and catch up.
301.74 -> The USSR conducts its first nuclear test.
305.04 -> During the Cold War, both powers engage in a frantic arms race.
309.58 -> Large sums are spent to gain technological superiority and possess the world’s largest nuclear arsenal
316.84 -> with the ostensible aim of
deterring the enemy from attacking.
321.3 -> While the United Kingdom tests its first atomic
bomb,
324.5 -> the United States tests its first thermonuclear bomb, also known as the hydrogen or H-bomb.
331.32 -> This is a fusion bomb, i.e. it reproduces the reaction occurring in stars by fusing two light atoms,
338.18 -> deuterium and tritium, under high pressure and a temperature of several million degrees Celsius.
344.93 -> To achieve these conditions, it is decided
to use the atomic bomb as a trigger.
350.28 -> The explosion of the plutonium bomb creates
the right conditions to trigger the fusion of atoms.
356.569 -> The explosion that follows is far more powerful
than nuclear fission.
361.37 -> The Soviets, in turn, develop the H-bomb.
368.38 -> In parallel, research is made to develop nuclear
power.
372.48 -> The first nuclear power plants appear.
375.249 -> The majority of future reactors would be with
pressurized water.
379.969 -> In the core of the reactor is a vessel in
which low-enriched uranium is placed and used as fuel.
386.48 -> Chain reactions are controlled to last about
3 years.
390.76 -> The heat emitted increases the temperature
of pressurized water in the primary circuit.
396.419 -> This circuit is brought into contact with the secondary circuit in which water heats to transform into steam.
402.84 -> This is used to rotate the turbine which is
linked to a generator that produces electricity.
409.28 -> A cooling circuit pumps water from a river
or sea to cool the vapor in the secondary circuit.
415.78 -> Sometimes cooling towers are built to cool
the water in the last circuit.
421.139 -> To encourage research in nuclear power, the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
427.439 -> is created under the aegis of the United Nations.
431.069 -> The organization is responsible for ensuring
the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy.
437.16 -> In addition, nuclear would also be used in
medicine,
440.54 -> notably in medical imaging and the treatment of certain cancers.
448.66 -> While France tests its first atomic bomb,
451.6 -> the arms race between the USSR and the United States takes a turn for the worse.
457.36 -> The two powers have already developed intercontinental missiles and nuclear submarines.
463.249 -> The USSR conducts the most powerful test of the Tsar Bomba, with a capacity of 50 to 57 megatons of TNT.
472.55 -> The following year, the US tests a hydrogen
bomb at an altitude of 400 km.
478.909 -> The explosion creates an artificial aurora
visible even from New Zealand;
483.9 -> while the emitted radiation damages at least 8 satellites.
488.34 -> The same year, while the United States threatens
Soviet territories
492.02 -> with nuclear missiles installed in Turkey and Italy,
495.1 -> the USSR places
in Cuba nuclear missiles pointed at the United States.
500.46 -> Just as tensions build to a climax, negotiations
take place between the two powers
505.5 -> after which both parties withdraw their missiles and the
situation calms down.
515.34 -> China tests its first atomic bomb.
518.24 -> The United States and Soviet Union takes a
dim view of the arrival of new competitors.
523.5 -> Via the UN, they propose a Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
529.32 -> This differentiates the 5 so-called nuclear
powers from the rest of the world.
534.34 -> Existing nuclear powers cannot share knowledge
or supply weapons,
538.18 -> while remaining countries cannot attempt to obtain the atomic bomb.
542.76 -> In addition, nuclear powers are supposed to
disarm as much as possible.
548.02 -> This treaty would gradually be signed by all
countries of the world
552.12 -> with the exception of India, Pakistan and Israel,
556.26 -> which denies having atomic weapons despite heavy suspicion of the contrary.
561.66 -> Latin America goes further by creating the
first populated area free of nuclear weapons.
567.59 -> Finally, the United States and Soviet Union
agree to limit the production of strategic weapons.
578.18 -> 1973 sees the world’s first oil crisis.
582.22 -> In a short time, the price of a barrel of
oil explodes, undermining global powers
587.58 -> whose economy largely depends on the black gold.
591.28 -> The world looks for alternatives to ensure
their energy supply.
595.14 -> France and Japan mainly rely on nuclear energy.
598.87 -> In the following years, many power plants
would be built around the world.
603.5 -> In India, a so-called “peaceful” nuclear
test takes place,
607.6 -> worrying its Pakistani rival which in turn embarks on nuclear research.
612.5 -> In 1979, a major nuclear accident takes place
in the United States.
618.22 -> One of the reactors at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant surges and the primary circuit leaks.
625.48 -> As the fuel is no longer submerged, it overheats
and then melts in its vessel.
631.6 -> Fortunately, the containment resists and prevents
radioactive leaks.
636.66 -> A few years later at the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant, after a series of human errors,
642.6 -> technicians lose control of the reactor.
645.58 -> When the temperature of its core becomes too
high,
648.3 -> an explosion blows up the concrete roof, part of which falls and fractures the vessel.
654.56 -> A highly radioactive cloud is released into
the air.
658.06 -> It spreads and contaminates a large part of
the European continent.
662.72 -> Around the power plant, a 2,600 sq km exclusion zone is created and more than 200,000 people are displaced.
672.72 -> Around the world, the accidents generate or
strengthen popular opposition to nuclear power,
678.6 -> which puts a heavy brake on the development
of the industry.
686.26 -> After the fall of the USSR and the end of
the Cold War,
690.18 -> the US and Russia continue to reduce their nuclear arsenals.
694.14 -> In addition, after more than 2,000 official
nuclear tests in the world,
698.54 -> the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is introduced.
704.34 -> It does not enter into force because out of
the 44 countries with nuclear reactors at the time,
709.88 -> three do not sign it and five others
sign but do not ratify it.
715.1 -> Two years later, India and Pakistan conduct
a series of nuclear tests.
720.33 -> Abdul Qadeer Khan, considered the father of
the Pakistani atomic bomb,
724.546 -> acknowledges having developed a clandestine network originatingin Dubai,
729.44 -> which has been providing Libya, Iran and North Korea
733.32 -> with the plans and materials
necessary to create an atomic bomb.
738.06 -> North Korea, after withdrawing from the Treaty
on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,
743.44 -> now declares that it has carried out its first
nuclear test.
747.85 -> At the same time, Iran announces that it has
successfully enriched uranium,
752.04 -> which worries the international community.
755.06 -> Israel for its part maintains ambiguity over
its nuclear program.
759.58 -> Many believe the country has dozens of atomic
weapons,
762.82 -> but the latter neither confirms nor denies reports to deter any potential enemy.
772.64 -> One of the advantages of nuclear power is
that it emits little CO2.
777.82 -> However, it generates radioactive waste with
a lifespan of up to several hundred thousand years.
784.68 -> While most of the waste has a lifespan of
a few decades,
788.16 -> current technologies do not offer a definitive solution for high-level, long-lived waste.
794.72 -> Most countries rely on deep geological repositories
to store nuclear waste
800.16 -> more than 300 meters under the Earth’s surface.
808.1 -> On 11 March, 2011, Japan suffers a triple
disaster.
812.94 -> After an 9.1-magnitude earthquake -- the most
violent ever recorded in the country --
818.84 -> its coasts are hit by a powerful tsunami with a height of over 10 meters, affecting the Fukushima nuclear plant.
827.1 -> Crashes prevent the cooling of the core of
its reactors.
831.6 -> Within days, 4 reactors explode, releasing
a highly radioactive cloud
836.94 -> that is blown towards the Pacific Ocean, reaching the North American continent and then
841.86 -> spreading throughout the northern hemisphere.
844.62 -> All 39 Japanese nuclear reactors are then shut
down.
849.05 -> In the aftermath, Germany announces a phasing
out of nuclear power.
853.74 -> Elsewhere, most nuclear countries review the
safety of their plants.
862.3 -> While 9 countries still have 16,000 nuclear
bombs, at the UN,
866.88 -> a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,
869.94 -> which aims at the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, is voted by 122 countries.
876.5 -> Only the Netherlands votes against, while
Singapore abstains.
881.06 -> But the vote is marked above all by the absence
of many countries,
885.22 -> including the nuclear powers and member countries of NATO.
889.58 -> If the treaty is ratified by 50 countries,
it will come into force.
894.24 -> Today, 34 countries have already ratified
it.
898.34 -> In terms of nuclear power, 417 operating reactors
produce just over 10% of the world's electricity.
906.55 -> 46 reactors are under construction, including
10 in China whose energy needs are increasing.
914.03 -> Elsewhere in the world, the nuclear fleet
is ageing.
917.87 -> Two thirds of global reactors are older than 30 years, out of their originally planned lifespan of 40 years.
925.84 -> Their future dismantling promises to be costly.
929.06 -> New generations of nuclear power plants struggle
to meet the world’s rising energy needs,
935.22 -> while its construction suffers significant
delays and additional costs.
940.3 -> Meanwhile, 35 countries are collaborating around
944.04 -> the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor,
947.82 -> which is being carried out
in France.
950.39 -> The aim is to study the possibility of building
nuclear fusion power plants over the long term.
956.94 -> Its budget has already jumped from 5 to 19
billion euros, but if the project is successful
964.6 -> it could offer a new type of power plant that
would produce a large amount of electricity
970.06 -> with little raw material and very little radioactive
waste.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGTEDH0SIdA