One thing Hollywood is very good at is scaring the bejesus out of Americans — even when they’re merely spreading false fears.

A famous movie in 1979 called “The China Syndrome” chronicled a nuclear power accident that could kill tens of thousands of Americans with radiation poisoning. The title came from a spooky fairy-tale scenario in which the nuclear material would melt the earth right through to its core and then all the way down to China. Despite causing few deaths, the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania that year further panicked Americans about the safety of nuclear plants.

The damage to the industry was done and nearly fatal. For nearly four decades the nuclear industry failed to permit any more new nuclear plants.

Updated: Tue Nov 26, 2024

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