Site of the First Self-Sustaining Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction December 2,1942
Physicist Enrico Fermi and his colleagues established the first self-sustaining controlled nuclear reaction in makeshift laboratories constructed under the grandstands of Stagg Field Stadium on December 2, 1942. The success of the experiment ushered in the atomic age, opening tremendous potential to modern science. Designated a Chicago Landmark on October 27, 1971 by the City Council of Chicago. Richard J Daley, Mayor.
The plaque sits across from a large sculpture symbolizing the world over a skull. The sculpture sits directly above the room used for the experiments, which is now filled with lead.
Submitted by Mary Nancy and Tim Early.