Scientists were aware that the atomic nucleus had the potential to produce enormous energy. This potential became a reality with the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938 and the construction of the first atomic pile by Enrico Fermi in 1942. The atomic pile designed by Fermi and his team was constructed in an abandoned squash court in the football field of the University of Chicago, and the work began in October, 1942. The builders had to machine two hundred tons of pure graphite and secure about six tons of uranium, which were to be arranged layer by layer in alternate lattices to create a roughly spherical structure.

Fermi's calculations showed that the pile would reach critical size at the fifty seventh layer, and it did. There was a lot of suspense before that. Fermi and his colleagues assembled in the squash court at 8:30 a.m. on December 2, 1942. The pile included cadmium control rods, which would absorb neutrons and control the chain reaction. These included electrically operated rods, an emergency safety rod, and a manually controlled rod. At 9:45 a.m., Fermi ordered the electrically operated rods to be withdrawn. Neutron counters indicated the activity of the pile as the control rods were withdrawn. Shortly after 10:00 a.m., Fermi ordered the emergency rod to be pulled out and locked. The manually operated control rod had markings to show what length was inside the pile.

At 10:37 a.m., Fermi ordered the control rod to be pulled to the thirteen-foot marking. The neutron count increased and leveled off. Seven minutes later, Fermi ordered the rod to be pulled out by another foot. The counters stepped up their clicking, and the graph pen edged upward and soon leveled off. The pile was not self-sustaining yet. The control rod was pulled out farther at 11:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m., and 11:25 a.m., and each time the counts increased and leveled off. Each time, Fermi made the necessary calculations using his slide rule. At 11:35 a.m., Fermi's calculations indicated that the pile would go into operation soon after. Fermi then called for a lunch break.

The group reassembled at 2:00 p.m. to resume the operation. At 2:20 p.m., the manual control rod was pulled out to its pre-lunch position. It was pulled out six inches at 2:50 p.m. and by another foot at 3:20 p.m. The counters were running wildly, and five minutes later Fermi gave the final order to pull the control rod by another foot. The clicking of the counters became so rapid that it sounded like a roar. Now the neutron counts did not level off, and Fermi knew that the first atomic pile was in operation. After operating for twenty-eight minutes, the atomic pile was shut down by sending the cadmium rods back in. This historic event launched the nuclear age and laid the groundwork for the development of the atomic bomb.

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