The first private research atomic reactor opened in Chicago, Illinois, US.
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Illinois became the 21st state to join the United States of America.
The largest US underground bomb was detonated on Amchitka Island, a remote Alaskan island.
An atomic bomb explosion was aired on TV for the first time.
The Soviet Union started mass producing the AK-47 assault rifle.
Citizens of Bikini Island evacuated for nuclear testing.
