11. Chernobyl’s Reactor 4 Shutdown Attempt (1986)
On April 25, 1986, operators at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant initiated a safety test on Reactor 4 to simulate a power outage. During the test, a sudden power drop occurred, leading to an uncontrollable reaction. In an attempt to shut down the reactor, operators pressed the emergency shutdown button, but due to design flaws, the reactor exploded, releasing massive radiation (nrc.gov).
