James Mahaffey Books

The first era of atomic discovery was a period of reckless curiosity. In the wake of fission’s discovery in the late 1930s, no one fully grasped how unpredictable neutron behavior could be when concentrated in kg-scale masses of uranium. The result was a string of laboratory incidents—some almost co...

From Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima

As atomic research matured into energy production, the 1950s and 1960s brought optimism and a new kind of engineering challenge. Nations saw peaceful nuclear energy as both a symbol of progress and a geopolitical statement. The designs that emerged—graphite-moderated piles, light water reactors, sod...

From Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima