Thirty-three years ago, on April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in northern Ukraine experienced two explosions and a fire that released deadly levels of radioactive gas and ash. This event is widely considered the most disastrous nuclear power plant accident in history. Historian Kate Brown says that “much of what we’re told about […]
Split Show: Soviet TV History and Health Impacts of Nuclear Weapons
For today’s two-part episode, we take a look at Soviet media history and nuclear health effects. Our first guest is Christine Evans, professor of history at UW–Milwaukee, who sketches the history of television in the former Soviet Union and the role of media in contemporary Russian politics and culture. Next, we speak to Robert (Bob) […]
Plutopias: A Tandem History of American and Soviet Nuclear Sites
On August 6, 1945, the United States detonated a nuclear bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This marked the beginning of an arms race with Russia that quickly led to the creation of a large nuclear testing ground in the American heartland. Ever since then, we have been living in a nuclear world. On […]