Atomic America: How a Deadly Explosion and a Feared Admiral Changed the Course of Nuclear History

On January 3, 1961, nuclear reactor SL-1 exploded in rural Idaho, spreading radioactive contamination over thousands of acres and killing three men. The army blamed "human error" and a sordid love triangle. Though overshadowed by Three Mile Island, SL-1 remains the only fatal nuclear reactor incident in American history.

Todd Tucker, who first heard the rumors about the Idaho Falls explosion as a trainee in the navy's nuclear program, suspected there was more to the accident than rumors s...