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The first large-scale nuclear powerplant in the world began operating in
Shippingport, Pennsylvania, on December 2, 1957--exactly 15 years after Enrico
Fermi demonstrated the first sustained nuclear reaction. In September 1954,
President Eisenhower had waved a "magic wand" in a Denver television station to
start the bulldozer at the Shippingport site. Symbolizing the peaceful use of
the atom, the "magic wand" transmitted a neutron-powered electrical signal
across the country to start the remote-controlled bulldozer. At no cost to the
government, the Duquesne Light Company of Pittsburgh built and operated the
Shippingport plant on a site it owned on the Ohio River. The company also
contributed to the cost of developing the government-owned reactor. Three years
later, the Shippingport plant began supplying electricity to the Pittsburgh
area.
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