Today in History - December 12: Technician lowered into reactor after meltdown later became household name
The simplest of errors resulted in the world's first nuclear meltdown on December 12, 1952.
The meltdown happened during a "in a normal but not quite routine operation" at the Chalk River Laboratories in Canada.
An operator in the basement assumed a series of valves had been mistakenly left closed.
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The Chalk River meltdown was the first in history. Toronto Public Library
He did not realise that upstairs a test was being conducted in the nuclear reactor.
The valves were immediately closed, but the damage had been done, triggering a surge of power of about 100 MW, three times what was expected.
In the 108 seconds of extreme heat, various elements in the reactor had been damaged.
Overwhelmed, the laboratory sent for a US military team to help with the clean-up operation.
A team of 22 led by Lieutenant Jimmy Carter was given the extraordinarily dangerous task of going into the reactor itself to make repairs.
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Jimmy Carter was a young lieutenant at the time of the Chalk River meltdown. US Navy
Carter had to be lowered into the reactor itself, knowing the exposure to radiation could well be fatal.
"They let us get probably a thousand times more radiation than they would now," he said.
"It was in the early stages and they didn't know."
Because they wanted to be out of the reactor as quickly as possible, Carter's team built a replica reactor on a tennis court to practice their operation.
They would only be in the reactor for 90 seconds at a time to limit their exposure.
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The reactor's unique vertical design meant Jimmy Carter had to be lowered into it to make repairs. Supplied
That would give Carter or other team members enough time to turn one screw.
Carter later remarked he had radioactive urine for six months afterwards.
He was told the exposure would stop him having any children and would shorten his life.
At that point he already had three sons including a newborn. He would have a daughter 15 years later.
Carter would go on to become elected president of the United States in 1976.
When North America had its next major meltdown, Carter was president.
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Jimmy Carter visiting the Three Mile Island nuclear facility after the meltdown in 1979. AP
During the 1979 Three Mile Island disaster, the president's questions were so technical that the senior officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission were unable to answer.
The prognosis of a short life because of his radiation exposure turned out to be untrue.
Carter died last year, aged 100.
For more from our Today in History archive, click here
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