An American Temple

The day the first atomic pile, Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1), went critical, December 2, 1942, can be considered the birth date of the Atomic Age. Essentially the world’s first nuclear reactor, CP-1 contained the first man-made, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. As a consequence of its sheer mass, its primeval form, the scientific ritual of its repeated construction and disassembly, and the deep ontological rupture it marked in human history, CP-1 is more than a scientific milestone; it can also be seen as a secular American temple devoted to our ability to bring about the extinction of our own species, addressing our collective consciousness and our deeper fears and hopes.