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American History

80 Iconic Moments from the 80s Forever In Our Minds

Cliff Schiappa / AP

26. The Disaster at Chernobyl

SHONE / Gamma Rapho / Getty Images

The nuclear plant at Chernobyl melted down on April 26, 1986, after a series of explosions. Thirty-two people died in the immediate blast, and upwards of two million experienced high radiation levels. In fact, the radiation from Chernobyl was 400 times more potent than that of the atomic bomb that exploded over Hiroshima.

Related: 32 Photos of the Infamous 1986 Chernobyl Disaster.

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