1940-49 || 1950-59 || 1960-69 || 1970-79 || 1980-89 || 1990-99 || 2000-present

Argonne Highlights: 1970-1979

1970

April 15 -- The first Argonne Laboratory-University of Chicago scholarships are awarded to nine children of Argonne employees to attend the university.

June 15 -- Argonne chemists announce that they have solved the structure of chlorophyll c for the first time.

June 15 -- Chicago Pile 5 (CP-5), updated and upgraded, achieves criticality for more experimental use.

July 10 -- An article in Science magazine by Argonne biologists reports the development of the first automated system for continuous growth of human cells in culture. The system is used to grow cancer cells for research.

November 13 -- The world's first observation of a neutrino particle track in a hydrogen bubble chamber is found on a photograph from the 12-foot bubble chamber at the Zero Gradient Synchrotron (ZGS).

1971

October 13 -- Argonne chemists announce the first observation of a transuranic element, neptunium, in a sample of lunar material. They also announce the first observation of uranium-236 in a lunar sample and in natural samples from earth. Only man-made uranium-236 had been previously observed.

1972

February 21 -- Maria Goeppert Mayer dies in San Diego, Calif.

April 10 -- Argonne and the Institute for Experimental Particle Physics, Karlsruhe, Germany, announce the development of a technique for building components of a particle accelerator from superconducting materials.

June 28 -- The main cell at Argonne-West's Hot Fuel Examination Facility/North is filled with argon gas for the first time, and the first irradiated fuel is brought into the facility.

June 30 -- The first irradiated fuel undergoes examination at the Hot Fuel Examination Facility/North.

July 5 -- The Hot Fuel Examination Facility/North (HFEF/N) is dedicated.

1973

April 1 -- Robert G. Sachs becomes the fifth Argonne Director.

May 10 -- A prototype section for a superconducting linear accelerator is tested successfully. Done in Argonne-East's Building 211, it is the first demonstration of the technology that makes the Argonne Tandem Linear Accelerator System (ATLAS) possible.

July 11 -- The world's first high-energy polarized proton beam is accelerated at the ZGS.

1974

March 1 -- A contract signed for construction of Center for Human Radiobiology to study the effects of radiation on people exposed through medical or industrial use or by Atomic Energy Commission experiments.

August 29 -- Ground is broken for the Center for Human Radiobiology.

October 11 -- President Gerald R. Ford signs legislation abolishing the Atomic Energy Commission and dividing its activities between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration.

1975

January 19 -- The Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) is activated.

January 31 -- ERDA-1 is christened in ceremonies at Argonne-East's Building 12. The 25-foot aluminum-hulled boat is used to study aquatic ecosystems in and around the Great Lakes.

March 31 -- HFEF/N begins operations as a fully automated facility for examining highly radioactive experimental reactor fuel elements and other components.

June 14 -- Experimental Breeder Reactor I opens to the public as a National Historic Monument.

June 26 -- The first presentations are made of the University of Chicago Awards for Distinguished Performance, the highest award the university presents to Argonne employees for scientific and engineering achievement.

July 8 -- The New Brunswick Laboratory begins operations in Building 350.

November 6 -- The first experiment is performed at the Sodium Loop Safety Facility, which was built to perform tests on fuel elements for liquid-metal-cooled, fast breeder reactors.

1976

April 22 -- Tests are completed on the split-ring resonator that will become the heart of ATLAS, the world's first superconducting, heavy-ion linear accelerator.

June 13 -- After killing two people in Lemont, a tornado touched down at Argonne-East, damaging the roof of Building 202.

June 14 -- Argonne announces ZGS research that reveals the proton is structured like a spinning onion: Different layers spin at different speeds, the inner core spinning faster than the outer layer.

September 21 -- Illinois Governor Dan Walker breaks ground for the Staunton I reclamation project. Led by Argonne, the project reclaims an abandoned strip mine and returns it to recreational use. Before (left) and after (right) photos show the improvements.

October 11 -- Argonne chemists announce synthesis of a new chlorophyll molecule that mimics the behavior of natural chlorophyll in the reaction center of green plants.

November 17 -- A new target room is dedicated for the Tandem Van de Graaff accelerator in Building 203.

1977

April 13 -- The ZGS Booster II synchrotron accelerates its first protons. The 500 MeV synchrotron will boost the ZGS beam intensity to more than one trillion protons per pulse.

April 20 -- The Today Show broadcasts live from the Building 362 lobby.

May 4 -- Betsy Ancker-Johnson is named Associate Laboratory Director for Physical Sciences, the lab's first female ALD.

May 10 -- The world's first large superconducting magnet, designed and built by Argonne, is tested successfully.

August 4 -- The U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration and other federal agencies are combined to create the U.S. Department of Energy.

October 1 -- The U.S. Department of Energy is activated.

October 21 -- The Neutron Radiography Facility is dedicated at Argonne-West.

1978

February 13 -- The ZGS 12-foot bubble chamber takes its last particle-track photograph and is retired.

July 26 -- New traffic signals begin operating at the intersection Lemont and Westgate roads, the western entrance to the Argonne-East site.

October 20 -- President Jimmy Carter signs a bill allocating funds to start design and construction for the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source.

October 25 -- The research vessel "Ekos" is commissioned. The floating laboratory is used to study the effects of energy-related pollutants on the Great Lakes and other inland waterways.

1979

May 22 -- The University of Chicago announces the appointment of Walter E. Massey as Argonne's new director.

July 2 --Walter E. Massey becomes the sixth Argonne Director.

August 23 -- Argonne-West celebrates 30 years of reactor research.

August 30 -- The National Battery Test Laboratory is dedicated at in Argonne-East's Building 205.

September 28 -- CP-5 retires from active service.

October 1 -- An article in Physical Review Letters reports results of the world's first experiment to use high-energy neutron beams. The experiment was done at the ZGS.

October 1 -- The ZGS is shut down for the last time.

December 28 -- CP-5 is shut down.

1940-49 || 1950-59 || 1960-69 || 1970-79 || 1980-89 || 1990-99 || 2000-present