= Chicago Pile-1
{c}
<Chicago Pile-1> was the experimental <nuclear reactor> that achieved a controlled self-sustaining fission chain reaction on 2 December 1942, in a structure beneath the University of Chicago's Stagg Field stands. The project was led by <Enrico Fermi>.
Uranium supplied <fissile material>, graphite moderated <neutrons>, and neutron-absorbing <control rods> adjusted the chain reaction. Gradually changing the absorber configuration let the team test approach to criticality. The scientific milestone was controlled <neutron> multiplication sufficient to sustain the reaction; the pile was an experimental assembly, not a power-producing station.https://www.ne.anl.gov/About/early-days/[Argonne institutional account of Chicago Pile-1 and criticality date]{ref}
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