Watch an American news report of the Chernobyl disaster

Chernobyl pushed the world to create rapid-alert systems for nuclear accidents

In the aftermath of the disaster, nations adopted new agreements requiring immediate international notification of nuclear accidents. They coordinated emergency assistance—efforts led by the International Atomic Energy Agency to prevent future disasters from being concealed when radiation emergencies occur.

View a timeline of the Chernobyl disaster

The 1986 Chernobyl meltdown, caused by a combination of poor safety design and human error, is the worst nuclear accident in history. At least three dozen people died in the direct aftermath, and experts believe thousands suffered premature cancer deaths from radiation exposure.

The Chernobyl disaster released more radioactive material than the Hiroshima bomb.

Limited transparency soon after Chernobyl made it a source of conspiracy theories

Some rumors about the event became perceived as more reliable than the Soviet mass media, which had omitted key information during the early days of uncertainty. The resulting theories included CIA involvement in the disaster, three-headed birds, aliens, and a weaponized earthquake.

The disaster affected the Soviet Union's credibility at home and abroad

The USSR's secretive, chaotic response to Chernobyl dealt a significant blow to its legitimacy. Public anger over deception, health risks, and propaganda fueled mass protests, strengthened independence movements in Ukraine and Belarus, and convinced many Soviets that the system was failing.

Watch an animated, step-by-step reconstruction of the Chernobyl explosion

This video shows how a 1986 safety test at Chernobyl spiraled out of control—leading to a massive rise in temperatures, an explosion and reactor meltdown that produced the largest civilian nuclear disaster in history.

The Chernobyl disaster prompted a sharp decline in public confidence in nuclear power

A Gallup poll from two months after the disaster showed 73% of respondents opposed building a nuclear plant near their homes—up from 45% in 1976. Chernobyl and other nuclear accidents remain in the public consciousness today in debates about nuclear power.

Explore illustrative depictions of Chernobyl in comic books

Pieces related to the location since the nuclear disaster have told stories about radioactive vampires and monsters, accounts of bureaucratic corruption and creed, and visual retellings of experiences those in the region lived through before and after the event.

See what became of Pripyat, the Soviet town built to house Chernobyl's plant workers, a year after the nuclear disaster forced its evacuation.

About 2.5 million American students watched the Challenger disaster live

Because of the publicity of the Teacher in Space program, millions of students viewed Challenger's liftoff in school classrooms—turning the explosion into a shared national traumatic experience marked by shock, silence, and grief.

The Chernobyl exclusion zone remains a region restricted to public access

It now spans beyond the initial 30-kilometer radius around the nuclear plant to include surrounding areas found to have significant radioactive contamination. Aside from a handful of elderly self-settlers, permanent residency is banned, and access remains tightly controlled due to lingering radioactive contamination.

Watch a 1957 news report on the Sputnik launch

This 1957 news report captures the shock and uncertainty that followed the launch of Sputnik, showing how the first artificial satellite immediately altered global politics, military planning, and public perceptions of technological power.

More than 500,000 people worked to contain Chernobyl's fallout, many with very little radiation protection.

The 'Chernobyl' miniseries is one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows ever

The five-episode historical drama earned near-universal acclaim for its historical detail and haunting portrayal of the 1986 disaster, winning 10 Emmys and topping IMDb's all-time TV rankings upon its release.

Chernobyl's remaining reactors kept running for 14 years after the explosion

Due to energy shortages in Ukraine, Chernobyl's other undamaged reactors continued operating for years. Units 1 and 2 operated until 1996 and 1991, respectively, while Reactor 3 remained online until December 15, 2000, when Ukraine finally shut down the plant.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has destabilized safety and oversight at Chernobyl

Russian forces cut power and disabled monitoring of the decommissioned nuclear power plant in 2022, endangering operators at Chernobyl. In February 2025, a Russian drone struck the confinement structure—part of broader efforts to pressure Ukraine's energy infrastructure—punching a hole in the containment shell.

9/11 was the first global disaster watched in real time across the world

As the first plane struck at 8:46 a.m. ET, CNN's live feed broadcast images worldwide within minutes. An estimated 2 billion people watched the collapse of the Twin Towers live.

Watch a time-lapse of the installation of the New Safe Confinement structure

The world's largest movable metal structure was built to contain the radioactive material from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which had previously been confined within a structure built to last no more than 30 years. The new structure was slowly rolled along rails over the course of two weeks.

The highly contaminated Chernobyl region suffers from reduced biodiversity

Although isolation and radiation have driven adaptations in some organisms, decades of radiation have caused ongoing harm to wildlife and vegetation, including population declines in birds and insects. Higher rates of deformities and tumors have also been seen compared with animals in surrounding regions.

About 1,200 'grandmothers' returned to their homes after the Chernobyl disaster

After the evacuation of the Exclusion Zone, about 1,200 mostly elderly women illegally went back to their ancestral villages and became known as the "babushkas of Chernobyl." Some have described the trauma of permanent relocation as less tolerable than potential radiation risks.

Misleading measurements and fear-based reporting often exaggerate radiation risks

Daily exposure to radioactivity is common but occurs in low doses outside of locations near nuclear accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima. Researchers have detected radiation in tuna, bananas, and the human body due to increasing instrumental sensitivity, not rising concentrations.

Dubbed 'stalkers,' some Ukrainian youth illegally explore Chernobyl's exclusion zone

A subculture of thrill-seekers, driven by a desire for rebellion and adventure, is representative of dark tourism in the region. Some stalkers sneak past militia posts to venture into abandoned ruins, risking radiation exposure while scavenging for ruins of the past.

The Chernobyl exclusion zone has become a unique wildlife refuge

Within the area—roughly the size of Yosemite National Park—animals such as wolves, bears, and feral dogs descended from the pets left behind have gradually adapted to low-level radiation. Eastern tree frogs in the area have darker skin than usual, which may have helped protect them from ionizing radiation.

Watch the Challenger disaster unfold in real time

On January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart just 73 seconds after liftoff. This live CNN broadcast captures the tragedy as it happened—second by second—showing the shock and confusion of one of NASA's darkest moments.

Watch a visualization of the construction of Chernobyl's sarcophagus

Built to contain the remains of Reactor 4 after the nuclear disaster, the "shelter structure" was constructed from about 400,000 cubic meters of concrete—enough to fill 160 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Construction required vehicles and cranes modified with special shielding to protect workers.

View a list of the worst nuclear meltdowns before 2013

Nuclear meltdowns occur when a reactor overheats and radioactive materials leach into the surrounding environment. While rare, the reasons for each occurrence—as detailed in this piece—can help establish new safety protocols for future reactors.

An imbalance in nuclear reactivity factors caused Chernobyl's reactor to explode

The initial explosion resulted from excessive steam pressure that had built up in a runaway manner due to design flaws and violations of safety protocols. Once exposed to atmospheric oxygen, the hot graphite in the control rods underwent a combustion reaction, resulting in a secondary explosion.

Some vacationers flock to the sites of tragedies

Auschwitz, Chernobyl, Gettysburg, and more have all become tourist destinations, despite the horrible events that have occurred at the sites. The phenomenon is sometimes called "dark tourism," a trend that seems to be spurred by interest in history, morbid curiosity, and popular culture (like HBO's series "Chernobyl").

View a photographic timeline of the building of Chernobyl's containment structures

The first structure—built to last 20 to 30 years—served as a covering for the exploded reactor and was built from about 16 million pounds of steel. In 2016, a new containment shell was constructed nearby and rolled onto the previous structure before being finalized in 2019.

The Soviet Union’s surprising first atomic test ended the US nuclear monopoly

In 1949, the USSR successfully tested its first atomic bomb—ending the US monopoly on nuclear weapons and sparking an arms race that would define the Cold War.

The 'Elephant's Foot' in Chernobyl is part of the largest documented mass of corium

The nuclear disaster produced around 200 tons of nuclear fuel that mixed with the surrounding melted reactor core materials. As of 2025, corium has been naturally formed four other times in history: once during the Three Mile Island accident and three times at the Fukushima Daiichi plant disaster.

Cold War nuclear tests exposed thousands to atomic blasts

After World War II, nuclear powers conducted thousands of weapons tests. This video pairs archival footage with interviews of veterans who witnessed Pacific test explosions, capturing the scale, shock, and human experience of being near a nuclear detonation.

Watch the Challenger disaster, which killed all seven astronauts aboard, unfold live.

Watch a 1986 television special about the discovery of the ozone hole

The groundbreaking discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole in the mid-1980s marked a critical turning point, galvanizing international action to address the ozone-depleting properties of chlorofluorocarbons, which had been identified about a decade earlier. This environmental crisis was brought vividly to public attention through media pieces like this one.

Nine eyewitness accounts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors

Japan's Hiroshima and Nagasaki became the first cities in history to be hit with nuclear weapons, where tens of thousands of civilians were killed nearly instantly. Hundreds of thousands of people who survived the bombings—referred to as hibakusha—dealt with wounds, radiation poisoning, and alienation from a society unable to process what had happened. This collection of accounts lets nine of those survivors speak, including one of the 165 survivors of both bombings.

President Reagan postponed the State of the Union after Challenger

In his Oval Office address delivered the night of the disaster, President Ronald Reagan spoke directly to the nation about the loss of Challenger and its crew, postponing that evening's scheduled State of the Union to address the tragedy.

John Hersey’s ‘Hiroshima’ focused on the stories of atomic bomb victims

The nonfiction book is considered one of the earliest pieces of New Journalism and an arresting case against nuclear warfare. Describing the pain, wounds and trauma of six ordinary citizens, “Hiroshima” played a powerful role in American perception of the war by focusing on its human toll.

Radioactivity was accidentally discovered when uranium left marks on photographic plates

In 1896, Henri Becquerel had been exploring phosphorescence—the emission of light of one color after an object is exposed to another color. He expected these emissions to come from objects exposed to sunlight, but he observed emissions after an overcast day.

The first nuclear reactor was built three years after nuclear fission was discovered

After learning that large atomic nuclei release energy upon being split apart, scientists quickly researched how to control the reaction to make electricity. Fusion—combining small atomic nuclei—generates massive energy in stars and hydrogen bombs.

Exposure to ionizing radiation from nuclear accidents can damage DNA

The damage can increase the risks of cancer, cataracts, heart disease, and other illnesses based on exposure times and intensities. Contaminated food, water, air, or soil from near nuclear accidents can further prolong one's exposure.

See how newspapers broke the news of the attack around the world

This collection showcases front pages from cities around the globe reacting to Pearl Harbor in real-time—capturing the shock, fear and uncertainty as the US entered World War II.

During the Cold War, a mid-air fire led to a nuclear bomber crash in Greenland that left a piece of a hydrogen bomb missing to this day.

The Love Canal disaster exposed the dangers of buried toxic waste

In the late 1970s, residents of Niagara Falls, New York, discovered their neighborhood was built atop 20,000 tons of chemical waste. Leaking toxins caused illness and birth defects, sparking nationwide outrage and leading to the creation of the EPA's Superfund cleanup program in 1980.

Symptoms of extreme radiation exposure may take hours to manifest

Large doses of ionizing radiation can damage the body within minutes, particularly in the bone marrow and inner layer of the digestive tract. Victims may briefly seem fine before rapidly deteriorating as immune failure, infection and organ collapse set in.

Over a lifetime, the average American's nuclear power usage creates a hockey puck of nuclear waste

Spent nuclear fuel remains hot and highly radioactive for long periods, requiring submersion in cooling pools before being stored in dry casks and deep underground repositories. The potential recycling of nuclear waste is impeded by security concerns and dangerous reprocessing methods, particularly when obtaining fresh uranium is often easier.

The threat of nuclear annihilation reshaped global diplomacy

The first use of atomic weapons introduced the possibility of a war with no survivors. This article examines how nuclear fear shaped Cold War diplomacy and continues to influence international relations today.

The containment apparatus at Chernobyl is the world's largest movable metal structure

Completed in 2016, the "New Safe Confinement" is a €1.5B megastructure—the largest movable structure ever built. It was assembled next to the damaged reactor, then rolled into place along a special track to seal the site for at least 100 years.

The genetic diversity of dogs is greater within Chernobyl than in surrounding areas

A 2023 study identified that packs of dogs located just 16 kilometers (10 miles) apart within the exclusion zone were more genetically different from one another than from stray dogs hundreds of kilometers away. Rather than radiation, this is likely the result of inbreeding within isolated packs.

Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to call Bush after 9/11, and visited the US two months later.

One Day in America series reveals the full timeline and human toll of 9/11

This National Geographic episode reconstructs the events of 9/11—highlighting the Pentagon attack, Flight 93 hijacking, South Tower collapse, and rescue efforts—offering a detailed, chronological account of how the day unfolded.