1942: A Historic Breakthrough, an Uncertain Future

Seventy-five years ago, University of Chicago scientists led by Enrico Fermi ushered in the Atomic Age by achieving the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.

Commemorating the Anniversary with the Arts

Recognizing the historical significance of this development, the University organized a series of public events beginning in Fall 2017 to commemorate and discuss the complex legacy of what transpired on December 2, 1942. UChicago Arts—in partnership with the Department of Art History, Department of Cinema and Media Studies, Department of Music, Committee on Creative Writing, Department of Visual Arts, Arts, Science & Culture, and the Gray Center—presented Arts and the Nuclear Age, a series of lectures that culminated in an afternoon and evening of performances and talks on December 2, 2017. Programs interacted with several installations responding to Fermi's experiment, as well as with Henry Moore's Nuclear Energy sculpture, which reached the 50th anniversary of its unveiling at the exact 75th anniversary of the experiment.

For a list of commemoration events that were presented by the arts, visit arts.uchicago.edu/nuclear-reactions/events.