Did you know...?

The now-infamous Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant 

On 28 April 1986 one of the world's most infamous nuclear accidents occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Surprisingly, the world hadn't knowledge that anything had occurred. It wouldn't actually be noticed by many until radiation is discovered in French milk!

The accident is considered one of the worst in history by many. It began with a test in reactor number four and ended with the death and contamination of countless people. It took until 06:35 for many of the resultant fires to be extinguished; even so, the fire in reactor four burned for many days!

Surprisingly, the Ukrainian government didn't end the power plant's operation. It continued operation until 15 December, 2000. Between the disaster and the closing of the facility, workers were "protected" from the radioactive reactor four by a thick concrete structure. This structure has come to gain the impressive title of "The Sarcophagus", encasing the defunct (and mostly destroyed) reactor. Additionally, the structure houses the bodies of some workers buried in the rubble (as it is tightly sealed and virtually impossible to get inside for any reason beyond repair). The Ukrainian government plans to replace the ageing sarcophagus (the current housing being the original from the 1980's) with a completely new structure by 2013.