Museum or archive
Three Mile Island: The Inside Story
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Where this source supports the record
Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.
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Engineering failures · 28 March–2 April 1979Open article references →
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident
Three Mile Island Unit 2 reactor · United States
Why editors use it hereMaterial and social history of operators, control-room information, public response, and legacy.
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Quick read
On 28 March 1979, equipment failure and operator misinterpretation at Three Mile Island Unit 2 caused loss of reactor coolant and a partial core meltdown.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Trigger and conditions
A failure in the secondary cooling system shut the turbine and reactor.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Uncertainty
Official and major scientific reviews found releases too small to produce detectable population-wide health effects, while some community studies and residents dispute that conclusion.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Why it matters
Three Mile Island demonstrates that a minor component failure becomes major when interface design, training, shared lessons, and crisis communication do not support accurate diagnosis.
Reviewed 26 July 2026
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Quick read