Introduction The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima has arrived at the age of 75. This bomb was so powerful its first use was justified as demonstrating that this weapon meant, at last, the end of war itself. But the bomb, without missing a beat, spawned instead a Cold War that, after 2 billion,… Read more »
The greatest earthquake in Japan’s history (Richter 9.0) struck the northeast coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. A devastating tsunami followed. An early count of the dead and missing numbered 20,000, and the number is rising. Japan’s major power company –The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) – owns the 6 reactors damaged during the blackout that followed the quake and tsunami. Without electricity, the emergency core cooling systems for the reactors failed. Back-up generators and batteries kicked in, but they soon failed as well. The result is the world’s worst nuclear accident. And it is not over yet.
