← All 42 tours for teachers · Deutsch

For teachers

5 stations on this tour

1. Chernobyl — Ukraine, 1986

   On April 26, 1986, Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant suffered a catastrophic meltdown and explosion. It released 400 times more radiation than the Hiroshima bomb. 350,000 people were permanently evacuated. The 30km Exclusion Zone remains uninhabitable. Click the markers to see each site's full details.

2. Fukushima Daiichi — Japan, 2011

   On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake triggered a 14-meter tsunami that overwhelmed Fukushima's sea walls. Three reactors suffered full meltdowns. 154,000 residents were evacuated. In 2023, Japan began the controversial release of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean — a process that will continue for 30+ years.

3. Three Mile Island — USA, 1979

   The partial meltdown of TMI-2 near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was the worst nuclear accident in US history. Though no deaths resulted, it fundamentally changed nuclear regulation worldwide. No new US reactor was approved for 34 years. In 2024, Microsoft announced a deal to restart TMI-1 to power AI data centers.

4. Semipalatinsk — Kazakhstan, 1949–1989

   The Soviet "Polygon" hosted 456 nuclear weapon tests over 40 years — including 116 atmospheric detonations. 1.5 million people in surrounding villages were exposed to fallout without their knowledge. Cancer rates remain 50% above national baseline. The site was closed in 1991 after Kazakh independence.

5. Bikini Atoll — Marshall Islands, 1946–1958

   The US conducted 67 nuclear tests at Bikini, including Castle Bravo (1954) — a 15-megaton blast 1,000 times more powerful than Hiroshima. The 167 Bikini islanders were relocated "temporarily" and have never returned. Radiation levels remain too high for habitation 70+ years later. The crater is visible from space.

Worksheet — Nuclear Legacy