The history of nuclear energy is a story of technical prowess, global politics, unfulfilled visions, and cultural anxiety. The technology's evolution in the second half of the twentieth century progressed through several stages: theoretical development by physicists; military application as atomic weapons in World War II; commercialization by the electrical industry in several industrialized nations; proliferation (for military and non military uses) among less developed nations; crises spawned by power plant accidents, cost overruns, and public protests; and retrenchment and slowdown in the last few decades of the twentieth century. By far the most potent form of energy to be harnessed by humankind, nuclear power has not become the dominant form of energy because of the great economic costs and social risks associated with its use.

Military Origins

The concept of "atoms" dates back...