Nuclear energy is the energy stored inside an atom by the forces that hold together the nucleus of an atom. Scientists have learned how to capture large amounts of energy from these forces, which can be used to generate electricity.
History
The idea of nuclear power began in the 1930s when physicist Enrico Fermi first showed that neutrons could split atoms. In 1942, Fermi led a team that achieved the first nuclear chain reaction under a stadium at the University of Chicago, USA. This was followed by a series of milestones