chernobyl
Accident at the Chernobyl (Ukraine) nuclear power station in the Soviet Union, the worst in the history of nuclear power generation. [1]
The V.I. Lenin Memorial Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station was located in Ukraine, near the town of Pripyat, which had been built to house power station employees and their families. [2]
Chernobyl nuclear power plant’s reactor 4 encased in a sarcophagus. [3]
[NOTE: The Ukrainian word for "Wormwood", which is needlessly capitalized in the prophetic verse above, is "Chernobyl" (see below). [4]
High radiation levels forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from the region surrounding Chernobyl, but today about 700 residents have returned to live in the region (although not the town itself). [3]
The nuclear reactor after the disaster. [5]
On April 26, 1986, the operating crew planned to test whether the Reactor No. 4 turbines could produce enough energy to keep the coolant pumps running until the emergency diesel generator was activated in case of an external power loss. [2]
On April 26, 1986, at 1:23 A.M., an accident occurred during a test of a turbine generator on the Unit 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Ukraine. [6]
Context - Some 20 years ago, the most serious accident in nuclear history changed the lives of many. [7]
“The (Chernobyl) reactor was consciously driven into an extremely dangerous situation, a situation known for its dangers, and then on top of it all the complete security mechanisms were put out of operation - allegedly for the purpose of carrying through this experiment, even if the report additionally professes that at least some of these switchoffs were not at all necessary for this experiment. [4]
A cover-up was attempted, but after Swedish monitoring stations reported abnormally high levels of wind-transported radioactivity, the Soviet government admitted the truth. [1]
At the time of the accident, the four reactors produced about 10 percent of the electricity used in Ukraine. [2]
Two people died in the initial steam explosion, but most deaths from the accident were attributed to radiation. [5]
Over the years, as the radioactivity levels decreased, the biological populations started to recover and the area has become a unique sanctuary for biodiversity. [7]
It is considered to be the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history and the only level 7 instance on the International Nuclear Event Scale. [5]
Sources:
[1] Chernobyl disaster: Information from Answers.com
[2] Chernobyl - The Chernobyl Nuclear Accident
[3] Chernobyl travel guide - Wikitravel
[4] Chernobyl Was Not An Accident
[5] Chernobyl Accident - Wikipedia
[6] Chernobyl: Definition from Answers.com
[7] Scientific Facts on the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident