Chernobyl

In the early hours of the morning of 26 April 1986, the nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine exploded, unleashing a storm of radioactive material into the atmosphere and contaminating most of Europe with its fallout. It was a disaster on an unprecedented scale.

In this comprehensive guide, Ian Fitzgerald explores the events as they unfolded: the science behind the explosion and what went wrong; the hubris and heroism shown on the groun