Episode Details

At 01:23:40, a safety test became a catastrophe, and the world learned the cost of secrecy in radioactive detail.

The Chernobyl Disaster began with the explosion of Reactor 4 on April 26, 1986, but the story stretches far beyond one moment in Soviet nuclear history. This episode revisits The Chernobyl Disaster through the RBMK reactor design flaws, the critical decisions that led to the nuclear reactor meltdown, the Chernobyl liquidators and the cover-up that tried to contain the truth as well as the radiation.

We explore Valery Legasov, the Chernobyl evacuation, Pripyat ghost town, radioactive contamination, the victims of radiation exposure, the Elephant’s Foot and the question people still search for: what caused the Chernobyl disaster? The Chernobyl Disaster is a disaster story about engineering, politics, denial and human sacrifice.

For listeners of a history podcast, documentary podcast stories, dark history, disaster stories and what really happened episodes, this is one of the most consequential unexplained events of the nuclear age: not unexplained because we know nothing, but because the chain of responsibility remains so disturbing.

Resources and Further Reading 

• Chernobyl Disaster Overview - World Nuclear Association
• Valery Legasov: -  All That's Interesting
• Horrifying Photos of Chernobyl - CBS News
• Chernobyl Tv Series 2019 - HBO

Host & Show Info

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland

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