Nuclear fission will become increasingly useful in global electricity production for the foreseeable future. The reasons are many, but can be summarized by the relative ease of reliable electricity generation that is provided. This is not without its many drawbacks. But it is the fact that nuclear fission provides a massive amount of reliable electrical power at relatively low cost that is prompting many countries to explore the possibilities of nuclear power generation. Understanding why nuclear power would be the only option (at present) as an alternative to burning fossil fuels for energy production is understanding its history, the current global production of electricity from l nuclear energy and its direction in the near future. The first man-made nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile 1, reached critical status on December 2, 1942 (Department of Energy 1982). This crude reactor looked more like a latticework of wood and brick than what many think of a nuclear reactor. This reactor was built under the supervision of Enrico Fermi (who, along with J. Robert Oppenheimer, are known as the "fathers of the atomic bomb") and Leo Szilard (the first to conceive the idea of ​​a nuclear reaction in chain). It was Szilard who was responsible for the formation of the Manhattan Project (Department of Energy 2006). Most importantly for power generation, the reactor was made of a series of stacks of uranium and graphite bricks, with wooden planks providing both support and structural references. The control mechanisms consisted of cadmium-coated rods that readily absorbed the freely flowing neutrons from the controlled chain reaction. This first reaction produced only ½ watt of energy, but in ten days, the production was at 20...... middle of paper ......: Characterization, treatment and environmental impacts. Berlin: Springer.Stacy, Susan M. 2000. Providing the Principle: A History of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory: 1949-1999. Idaho Falls: Department of Energy Idaho Office of Operations. United States Department of Energy. 1982. The first reactor. Washington: Department of Energy. Website viewed: www.nuclear.energy.gov/pdfFiles/DE00782931.pdf. Accessed November 20, 2011. United States Department of Energy. 2006. The History of Nuclear Energy. Washington: Department of Energy. Website viewed: www.nuclear.energy.gov/pdfFiles/History.pdf. Accessed November 20, 2011. United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Website viewed: http://www.nrc.gov. Accessed November 20, 2011. Wittman, Nora. 2011. The rush for Africa's nuclear resources. New African (June): 72-74.