Three Mile Island (Life Imitates Art)
March 28, 1979
Nuclear reactor number 2 at Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station has a partial meltdown. This resulted in the release of radioactive gases and radioactive iodine into the environment. The accident was due largely to operator error, inadequate training, and design flaws.
The movie The China Syndrome had premiered just 12 days earlier. It told the fictional story of TV reporters who uncovered major safety violations and filmed a nuclear accident at a power plant. The nuclear power industry derided the film, claiming it was absurd and nothing like that could ever happen. And then 12 days later…