Nuclear Power From the Era of the Baby Boomer

Many miss the point in attributing technological breakthroughs solely to the Information Age. In fact, most of the world’s unprecedented discoveries occurred in the Baby Boomer period when people escalated in number and economic output.

Among the myriad of scientific innovations that the recent age benefits from, is in the field of energy or power consumption. The baby boomer period has contributed significantly when, for the first time, it enabled electricity generation.

It was in USSR that the world saw the debut of the first nuclear power plant that produced electricity for a power grid, the electric capacity of which was around 5 megawatts. The project, which was initiated by the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, came eight years following the start of the boomer year in 1946 and was shortly followed in the later years.

The United Nations, still in its formative stage, held its “First Geneva Conference” in 1955 to tackle the nuclear power issue. A large host of scientists and engineers adept at nuclear technology pursued initiatives to further scientific exploration. The combined efforts of world players led to the establishment of relevant global nuclear energy participants.

Two years after the first UN convention, EURATOM was established together with the European Economic Community, which is now known as the European Union; manifesting the increasing significance of nuclear power, an issue that was a sure-fire topic to be discussed in the years to come with the creation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1957.

Nuclear power stations began to flourish in the 1950s starting with the world’s first commercial nuclear power station in Sellafield, England— Calder Hall. When the station opened in 1956, it only had the capacity of 50 MW but it later managed to have a 200 MW capacity. In the United States, the nuclear power trend found its support with the foundation of Shippingport Reactor, the first commercial nuclear generator launched in 1957 and based in Pennsylvania.

When nuclear power was developed, the U.S. Navy first saw the opportunity of tapping into the promises of nuclear power for propelling submarines and aircraft carriers.  Even Admiral Hyman Rickover, credited for the nuclear marine propulsion, was actively engaged in the Shippingport Reactor. 

The electricity generated from nuclear power was one of the finest legacies left by the boomer period. With the sophisticated technology and the incredible human resources today, it is likely for us to maximize the benefits of nuclear power and continue what the preceding generations have started.



Ok fellow boomers. How many of you remember our classroom drill where we were instructed to protect ourselves from an atomic attack by hiding under our desks? Hmm, that would have been very effective. 

Do you have a personal memory of the Cold War and the introduction of nuclear energy? We’d love to hear. Come share it with others at boomeryearbook.com

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