#stagg field

[marmarinou]

JWB-PRR-CT-unnumbered-25 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library

[oupacademic]

On 02 December 1942, Enrico Fermi achieved the first nuclear chain reaction, which gave the Manhattan Project team the capability to produce the first atomic weapons. Fermi was the chief designer of the atomic pile, created at Stagg Field on the University of Chicago campus.

While Fermi worked mostly on the atomic bomb, his breakthrough discovery also allowed for the generation of nuclear power.

Images: 1) Nuclear Weapons Test by WikiImages. CC0 public domain via Pixabay. 2) Nuclear Power Plant by Mingo123. CC0 public domain via Pixabay.

[uchicagoadmissions]

#DidYouKnow?

#DidYouKnow that the very first controlled self-sustained nuclear chain reaction in history occurred under the stands of UChicago’s Stagg Field?

[ebthblog]

EBTH + CHICAGO: 6 Interesting Facts about Chicago

Think you already know everything there is to know about the Windy City? Think again! Here a just a few of the amazing things we’ve learned about Chicago:

1. Chicago’s Founder, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable

Chicago was literally founded in the house of its first settler, a Haitian-American businessman named Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, who arrived in what is now Chicago in 1779. In Du Sable’s home - which he shared with his Native American wife - Chicago’s first marriages and elections were held, and Chicago’s first court handed down justice.

2. Chicago Was the Site of the World’s First Skyscraper

Constructed in 1884, the Home Insurance Company building is generally considered to be the world’s first skyscraper at 138 feet tall (180 after an additional two floors were added in 1890). City officials were so concerned about the proposed size of architect William Le Baron Jenney’s plans that construction was halted to investigate the structure’s safety. The metal-framed building weighed only one-third as much as a traditional stone structure would have.

3. The Term “Jazz” Was Coined in Chicago

Even if you automatically think of New Orleans when you hear the word “jazz,” the term itself was first used in a musical context by the Chicago Tribune in 1915. Chicago was also the home of many jazz greats, including Nat King Cole, Gene Ammons, Benny Goodman and Bud Freeman.

4. The Atom Was First Split under the Football Stands of Stagg Field

You read that correctly! But, to be more specific, we are talking about the University of Chicago’s original Stagg Field, which was in use from 1893-1939, rather than the university’s current football field. Chicago Pile-1, the world's first artificial nuclear reactor, was built under the west stands of Stagg Field, which was no longer used for football by this time. Enrico Fermi achieved first man-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at the site on December 2, 1942.

5. Chicago Was the Site of the First Televised Presidential Debate

The first televised U.S. presidential candidates' debate was broadcast from Chicago's CBS Studios on September 26, 1960, between John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Richard Milhous Nixon. Interestingly, viewers watching the debate on television felt that Kennedy was the clear winner, while listeners following the debate on radio saw Nixon as the victor.

6. Historic Highway ″Route 66″ Begins in Chicago

The iconic U.S. highway, immortalized by countless pop culture references, including Bobby Troup’s song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" - actually starts at Grant Park on Adams Street in front of the Art Institute of Chicago. Route 66 ends in Santa Monica, California.

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[vintageuchicago-blog]

University of Chicago vs. Lawrence University, Stagg Field (1936) 

[nuclearvault]

Plaque at Stagg Field, University of Chicago, where the first man-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was achieved.

[fyuchicago]

The Cosmic Radiation Research Group conducts a cosmic ray experiment with a balloon launch in 1946.

[slideshowfreak]

"0889-47 Library and monument at location of Stagg Field, University of Chicago" from "Dynamic Chicago". Photographed by William B. Parker, 1973.