Summary: Nuclear power research began at the very end of the 19th century, accelerating to the Manhattan Project, which demonstrated the promise of nuclear energy as a massive energy source. After WWII, focus moved to developing civil energy uses for the nuclear technology put into creating destructive weapons.
History of Nuclear Energy
Uranium was discovered in 1789, by a German chemist. Then, in 1895, ionizing radiation was discovered. For the next 15 years, the concept of radiation was further explored, until 1911, when the concept of radioactive isotopes and the ability to trace them was realized. The 1930s saw research into the neutron and the idea of bombarding radioactive elements to start nuclear fission. In the 1940s, attempts to control this reaction, leading to a nuclear bomb, were pursued. Following WWII, in the 1950s, nuclear boilers began to be produced that eventually led to nuclear power plants. Beginning in the 1970s, demand for new nuclear reactors greatly decreased, with new reactors being produced at a slower rate than old ones were decommissioned. It has only been very recently that the demand for new nuclear reactors has been considered again.