Walter Henry Zinn was a Canadian-born American nuclear engineer and physicist who directed construction of the world's first nuclear reactor. Working on the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory during the Second World War, he supervised the building of Chicago Pile-1, which achieved the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction on December 2, 1942, at the University of Chicago, and he went on to oversee the follow-on Chicago Pile-2 and Chicago Pile-3 reactors. From 1946 to 1956 he served as the first director of Argonne National Laboratory, where he led the design and construction of Experimental Breeder Reactor I, nicknamed Zip, which on December 20, 1951 became the first reactor to generate electricity for a building. His laboratory's reactor research also contributed to the development of naval nuclear propulsion, including the reactor used in the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine. He was elected the first president of the American Nuclear Society in 1955 and later received the Atoms for Peace Award in 1960 and the Enrico Fermi Award in 1969.
Facts
FAQs
What did Walter Zinn build at Argonne National Laboratory?
He led construction of Experimental Breeder Reactor I, the first reactor to generate electricity for a building.
From 1946 to 1956 Zinn served as the first director of Argonne National Laboratory, where he led the design and construction of Experimental Breeder Reactor I, nicknamed Zip. On December 20, 1951 it became the first reactor to generate electricity for a building. Earlier, at the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory, he had supervised the building of Chicago Pile-1, which achieved the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction on December 2, 1942.
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In Field
Source Walter Zinn - Wikipedia
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Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Sources
1. Walter Zinn - Wikipedia
Early life section
Walter Henry Zinn was born in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario, on December 10, 1906
Early life section, full date
Walter Henry Zinn was born in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario, on December 10, 1906
Death section
He died in Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor, Florida, on February 14, 2000
Death section, full date
He died in Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor, Florida, on February 14, 2000
Lead paragraph, main clause
Walter Henry Zinn (December 10, 1906 - February 14, 2000) was a Canadian-born American nuclear physicist
- Wikipedia 'Walter Zinn': citizenship Canadian, born Berlin Ontario Canada; checked 2026-09-27
- Wikipedia 'Walter Zinn': citizenship American; checked 2026-09-27
In Field: Nuclear Engineering, Introduction
Walter Henry Zinn (December 10, 1906, February 14, 2000) was a Canadian-born American nuclear physicist who was the first director of the Argonne National Laboratory from 1946 to 1956.
In Group: Nuclear Reactor and Propulsion Pioneers, Lead paragraph
supervised the construction of Chicago Pile-1, the world's first nuclear reactor
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