I’m currently listening to Brian Wynn in the How to Think About Science series. He tells a story reminiscent of the physicists wagering the apocalypticness of the first atomic bomb explosion. Wikipedia provides a slightly drier, but more complete recounting of the decision to use water to put out the reactor fire at the Windscale Pile 1, Oct 11 1957.

I’m also reminded of this photo I took at the Los Alamos science history museum a few years ago.