Sunday marks 40th anniversary of one of world's worst nuclear disasters episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 26, 2026 · 7 MIN

Sunday marks 40th anniversary of one of world's worst nuclear disasters

from WWJ: On-Demand

40 years ago, one of the worst nuclear disasters in human history rocked Ukraine and uprooted whole communities. A steam explosion at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and subsequent fires released a portion of the reactor core into the surroundings. The fire and acute radiation sickness killed at least 30 firefighters and operators within months. Taras Oleksyk, Oakland University Biology Professor, remembers celebrating his 16th birthday in his hometown not far from the meltdown zone. He spoke with WWJ's Kyle Kimball. (Bohdan Aleksandrovych/GettyImages).

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 26, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Sunday marks 40th anniversary of one of world's worst nuclear disasters

0:00 7:11

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of WWJ: On-Demand?

This episode is 7 minutes long.

When was this WWJ: On-Demand episode published?

This episode was published on April 26, 2026.

Can I download this WWJ: On-Demand episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!