Idaho Falls: The Untold Story of America's First Nuclear Accident

Idaho Falls tells the story of SL-1, an experimental military nuclear reactor located in Idaho's Lost River Desert that exploded on January 3, 1961, killing three crewmembers. This was the world's first nuclear reactor meltdown to claim lives, occurring years before Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, or Fukushima. Journalist William McKeown draws on exclusive interviews with the victims' families and friends, firsthand accounts from rescue workers and nuclear industry insiders, and extensive research into official documents to examine the many unanswered questions surrounding the disaster. The investigation explores various explanations for the blast, including reports of faulty design, mismanagement, incompetent personnel, and rumors of sabotage following a failed love affair. McKeown raises questions about whether the truth was deliberately suppressed to protect the nuclear energy industry.