Chianti Bottle from the Manhattan Project
12/2/1942
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This empty bottle of Chianti Bertolli wine was signed by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project. On Wednesday, December 2, 1942, the world's first, man-made, controlled nuclear chain reaction was achieved by the first atomic reactor, Chicago Pile -1 (CP-1), at 3:22 p.m. under the direction of physicist Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago's Stagg Field. Afterwards, physicist Eugene Wigner opened a bottle of chianti he had earlier purchased in honor of Fermi. Fermi, Wigner, and the other Metallurgical Laboratory scientists drank a silent toast from paper cups to recognize their world-changing achievement. The bottle's basket bears the signatures of the scientists present at the historic experiment.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Atomic Energy Commission.
Full Citation: Chianti Bottle; 12/2/1942; Program Correspondence Files, 1942 - 1988; Records of the Atomic Energy Commission, Record Group 326; National Archives at Chicago, Chicago, IL. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/chianti-bottle, June 3, 2023]