On This Day: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Disaster

On April 26, 1986 a disaster occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine in the Soviet Union. Investigations indicated this was the result of the combination of a flawed Soviet reactor and errors made by plant employees. As a result of this accident, many people died and were injured. Radiation spread throughout the atmosphere in the region, contaminating people and the environment, leaving lingering effects. Eventually, in the year 2000, the Chernobyl reactors were shut down and the plant was closed. View the videos below to learn more about the design of the reactor, the experiment that caused this accident, and the impact it has had.