Chernobyl: The USSR’s Nuclear Disaster

[@uncle7162]

Is anyone else addicted to these biographies?

[@karlpj1]

To anything he does

[@ladymopar2024]

Totally 😊

[@FozzQuaker]

Wouldn't go so far to say I'm addicted, but I do enjoy Simon's content on youtube

[@ghenghiskhan39]

I actually goof off at work for ages watching these vids. Good thing I'm my own boss...

[@d4fm4n]

Yup, and I really don't mind at all

[@Tyus_]

I love the idea of not limiting biographics to just people. Maybe the next non-person biographic can be on the titanic.

[@Biographics]

Interesting idea.

[@miscellaneousshadow7452]

I love this idea. Cover the book The Titain when you do please.

[@candid798]

Miscellaneous Shadow Yes!

[@lovelyshadow4293]

Another one: the Tower of London.

[@LikeAStone1016]

Yes! There's such an enormous wealth of interesting information on the subject of the Titanic, from Morgan Robertson's 'Futility' to the ship itself and the inquiries after the sinking, to the discovery of the wreck in the 1980's, that it would make a phenomenal Biographics video!

[@dominikgoslawski627]

Loving the new idea

[@monzy-]

Same

[@the_road__warrior6185]

“Would we lie to you??” Asked no honest government ever..

[@chrismarshall4523]

That never happens....... 😂

[@adriancoetzee65]

Said no government at all

[@BenwaysPatient]

>honest government Lmao

[@RUSSIANinEngland]

"Honest government" sounds like a title for a fiction book

[@Starae336]

Is there even such a thing as an honest government??

[@alexanderveritas]

*The video that started an entire separate channel: **_Geographics._*

[@faceballheadshot]

I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS

[@Battledongus]

Its maybe my fave channel now i cant pick one i love them all!

[@zigmarx8664]

We should all thank the thousands of men and women that sacrificed their health so that our world might survive and learn form it's mistakes

[@andytesting123]

Russia really made moves to clean it up at the expense of many, many lives - saving many more. A military decision at it 'finest'.

[@m1nc3m3at]

Hear, Hear

[@danieladeutsch1708]

Thank you very much, for mentioning them. I have read there were about 600 000 - 800 000 people working on the aftermath of the catastrophe. The health aftermath is still unknown. :(

[@hannibalcannibal3140]

no we shouldn't

[@linadina1966]

We should most certainly thank them, unfortunately i doubt most knew the danger they were in.

[@BichaelStevens]

That moment when you fulfill the energy production of the 5 Year Plan in 0.3 milliseconds

[@themightyranger6321]

Lmao

[@elgatto3133]

Success comrade!

[@danilyevh.2712]

Oof hahahahaha

[@ThyAxeman]

Stalin approves

[@Deadlyaztec27]

Anyone who says otherwise is a capitalist.

[@johnhargreaves3620]

My colleagues and I put together a resin for treating the ground which would draw the radioactive material into trenches of resin at either end of the area it worked well and enable a lot of the outlying fields to have significantly reduced levels of danger. A considerable amount of work was done by non Russians such as myself and my colleagues from the UK and USA to solve the problems. The Russian/soviet government had neither the expertise, the will or the money to do anything about it. It was international cooperation that has done so much to reduce the effects of the disaster. The disaster caused incalculable loss in countries all over Europe and many animals in the UK were destroyed due to eating contaminated grass notably in Cumbria where thousands of sheep were slaughtered and burnt. I am now retired but this disaster was the non military incident that caused the most worry to me; and I have known a few military ones in my time from Cuba to The Kursk. Kind regards JohnH

[@Cass63450]

Thank you for sharing this. And for your and your colleagues' work.

[@BoonesFarm50]

Thank you for your work! Out of curiosity, would you mind replying with a link to more information about the resin you developed? I would love to learn more about it!

[@timstadlmueller58]

As someone who cares about the earth, thank you.

[@johnhargreaves3620]

@@BoonesFarm50 There is no link, it was developed in the 80s by a US/UK team it was relatively confidential at the time and sits as a specific development in the nuclear industries. It has only been used the once. The operation was complicated and the process was one of digging a trench at either end of a patch of ground and filling with resin, the resin was then charged with electrodes and the resin acted as the poles of a battery; the field was wetted out with water and the heavy nucleotides migrated to the resin. The resin was then dug out and disposed of generally deep underground to allow for safe decay. The process will work with other contaminants but they are much more difficult to measure the effect (nuclear material is easy to trace because of the radiation). Regards

[@johnhargreaves3620]

@ Fukashima is more insidious than Chernobyl definitely and will last 1000s of years at some level (as will C but is more contained than F); the thing that put the willies up everybody at Chernobyl was the immediate risk of a meltdown explosion which would have contaminated vast areas and caused a laying waste of massive areas of fallout and millions of deaths for a long time. The earth is and always has been a radioactive planet that is why evolution has been a relatively quick process on earth; in time the earth will absorb and cope with Fukashima but I think Chernobyl could have had the risk of much more. I agree everyone that we should not stress the earth anymore than we should; my dream has always been since 1957 that we could harness fusion which would not produce contamination as this is the major risk to the planet; contamination could last for hundreds of thousands of years. The Universe puts us at risk all the time, and we have a precarious hold on life at best. I will be at one with the universe in the near future when my atoms will join it for the future, I do not want to join one which will be devoid of life. Kind regards

[@anandixitin]

You can do a video on Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984 in India. It killed thousands and poisoned hundreds of thousands. It has been one of the biggest industrial disasters in the world.

[@babiryeethel8582]

Perhaps but those who want to learn about that (apparently people are still suffering from the Bophal disaster 35 years on) they can do what I do and watch 'Seconds From Disaster'....every episode is on KZbin; as much as I like Biographics, they should stick to just that; Biographies of people; no disaster bio they do can be as absorbing and interesting as seconds from disaster series can make it.

[@grmpEqweer]

I'd like a Bhopal disaster bio. I don't know enough about Bhopal.

[@grmpEqweer]

@@babiryeethel8582 I will look up seconds from disaster.

Make a Video on Camp Ojiri disaster.

[@davyt0247]

That’s a good one, the Exxon Valdez accident and the Deepwater Horizon would be good ones as well.

[@Gun_Talk]

I was born about 100 miles from there in 1991. Still have my Chernobyl zone ID book.

[@chrismanning3911]

How's your health

[@peteswafflemeyer5620]

@@chrismanning3911 cough cough

[@randomgoose3704]

Dude that's an antique!

[@Gun_Talk]

Lol I'm fine, 30 years old, never really had any health issues.

[@sw9458]

How's the 3rd hand

[@ZENMASTERME1]

Anything That Simon Whistler Host Is Absolute Gold!!!

[@santanu526]

Yes indeed

[@IronWarhorsesFun]

yes he is calm and unbiased in his presentations.

[@anthonyvelez7367]

I agree!

[@JS-mj3lb]

he's brilliant!

[@van3158]

He’s completely biased for liberals

[@randallwatson8760]

As a child adopted from the zone, thank you for this, Simon, more people need to know of this. It is at least in some small part why Ukranians despise Russians. Chernobyl is literally the gift that keeps on giving. What it give is death and suffering.

[@4thcoming]

I'm amazed that Stalker, a video game based in the present day Cherynobe zone has become so popular. It's like a recreation of the abandoned zone with criminals and monsters. Glad you're doing ok. Regards.

[@kalagannaway397]

I'm glad you were adopted and I hope you were given a nice life, which should be the fate of all children but unfortunately is not promised.

[@rina5221]

Russians as a nation don’t hold the responsibility for the government of 40 years ago. Believe me, we aren’t terribly happy with it or the ones to come after it either

[@JohnDarkSoul69]

you should despise the soviet union and their leaders, friend. don't assume we're ok with what happened... but then again, i can't say i blame you.

[@NB-ir1me]

@@4thcoming how are you suprised that's big? Every single person in the us knows of Chernobyl

[@MegaZz23]

Do a biographics on Simon Whistler

[@greulich9635]

Simon already stated that he doesn't want people to know such private details

[@MegaZz23]

@@greulich9635 That's understandable

[@jaywilliams9294]

Who is Simon Whistler? I thought this was Jonny Sins

[@Tarumarugan]

Jay Williams it is

[@chip9649]

That should be done as the last video for this channel or if simon retires that would be a great memorium.

[@Larpy1933]

Yes! The change of pace is a wonderful plan. I liked that you gave more emphasis to the human cost of the disaster rather than the basic technical details. It was totally fascinating in a hugely macabre way.

[@Vladimir-hq1ne]

Oh how I wish Gorbachev was there. Instead of my now deceased Kiev fireman second uncle. And old pal of mine, evacuated with his mom to Moscow suburb, became my classmate - I've seen him some 10 years ago last time. You know, we are over 46 y.o. now.

[@scottcozad800]

I was living in Scotland when this happened. I remember the fear and local farmers checking their sheep with geiger counters. This is a very well done video. In particular I liked how you put the time scale into perspective at the end. If you are planning on doing more videos on places can I request one on Doggerland.

[@Cass63450]

+1 on the timeframe explanation

[@RJeremyHoward]

Yeah, it begins to put it in perspective. "Generations" being defined in 25 year increments, it's *only* been 160 generations since the pyramids. 960. 960 generations and that place *might* be habitable again.

[@andytesting123]

Yes, but you're not supposed to shove the geiger counters up their arse.

[@j.p.fagerback7966]

Great bio, you can clearly do more of these. Gorbachev was interviewed some years ago and he said that he realized that there was something really wrong in the USSR when the first information which reached him was not from the accident site it self, but from IATA based on the alarms which went off at Barseback in Sweden.

[@davyt0247]

There is another video where the radiation from Chernobyl set off alarms at a nuclear power station at Forsmark in Sweden.

[@Fazupala]

@@davyt0247 Swedish would never use "z" in that way - it's an exceedingly rare letter in Swedish. The plant is called "Forsmark". source: I'm Swedish

[@davyt0247]

Per-Viktor ah, my bad sorry. Should be fixed now.

[@Fazupala]

@@davyt0247 No problem, I didn't take offence, just thought you might like to know :)

[@SimonVanliew26]

@@Fazupala wow you dont seem like someone that gets bullied, at all.

[@clintpmk2405]

Only simon could make a fart joke about the worst Nuclear Disaster ever and keep it going on a world level untill the satisfying utter completion. Lmao

[@dadzcoin5750]

I really, REALLY enjoyed this presentation... THANK you! I was just a young rural American kid of 26, raising my own young family when this disaster took place. Terrified by the media stories about the clouds of radiation that were billowing their way across the Planet, my young bride and I were seriously considering what, if any, protections we could offer to our little ones. A churchgoer as a young boy, I even consulted with my retired former church pastor as to whether or not these were the 'end times'. Over subsequent years, I have voraciously devoured any writings or video about those terrifying times. Yet, since that horrific day, I rarely hear any discussion about those brave men and women who dove headlong into the danger... unsure or disregarding the perils to their own lives, in order to defend their own families, communities, and even the world. Like so many REAL heroes in our rich past, perhaps they thought they were only mobilizing to save their own localities... and wound up saving humanity in the long run. I have been a subscriber of your channel(s) for quite a while now and am THRILLED with the excellent job you have done in researching and covering this topic. I would LOVE to see you cover more topics like this one. As George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Ever your fan, -Don

[@whatevr99]

What is the cost of lies? For the Soviet Union, after Chernobyl, apparently everything.

[@koled224]

How did lies cause this?

[@sirandrelefaedelinoge]

@@koled224 Because the government wouldn't acknowledge the truth of what had happened...

[@somethinglikethat2176]

@@koled224 the flaws in the design were known beforehand. Also in a more transparent nation the information of this danger would have been known to the operators of the plant.

[@will-z9j]

"Hey, Ivan, wonder what happens when we turn off the safeties on this reactor" "Bet you won't"

[@elihentai8242]

My history teacher told me that her son was in a team eliminating the consequences of this disaster. The helicopters that were used in the process were never used after that, and even grass was not growing around them.

[@CodexArgenteus]

That's freaky when grass won't grow around where you landed your chopper! :O

[@ТимофейОстрогляд]

in Chernobyl there are giant junks filled with irradiated vehicles that were used in liqudation

[@romanzusman2892]

@@elihentai8242 такое событие не забывается. Недавно смотрел тнтшный сериал про чернобыль. Исполнение конечно не очень, хромает можно сказать, но идея очень интересная

[@kennbiggs9311]

I’m fine with videos about places. They are living entities when viewed from the human interaction with these locations.

[@dob4592]

Clicked on this by mistake. I'm not disappointed.

[@Starae336]

Me too only I don’t think I even clicked it just started playing lol

[@dob4592]

@@Starae336 auto play kills data but discovers some gems

[@tylerthompson5859]

I regret that I have not found your channel sooner. Betwixt your biographics and geographics, I have binged your content like a good podcast.

[@Biographics]

Edit: new channel coming very soon. kzbin.info/door/HKRfxkMTqiiv4pF99qGKIw We are very excited about the response to this location bio, so to speak. Look out next (2019) when we will be launching another channel focusing on locations and geography. We would love your thoughts on this. More details about this will be posted in our community section found here: kzbin.info/door/lnDI2sdehVm1zm_LmUHsjQcommunity Edit No. 2: Geographics is a huge success and has just surpassed 500,000 subscribers! Thanks to all of you for helping it grow.

[@DanielMunnNOLA]

Biographics cannot wait! This video was incredible. I’ve watched it 3 times already

[@DonHomersdonut]

Biographics great video so interesting. Keep up the good work. Vietnam war video?

[@BMD19840]

Biographics thank you, a friend recommended me of this cuz I was interested in Chernobyl and The Elephant's Foot, good work

[@marjieestivill]

Fantastic that there will be a “biography” of places, treating them as social phenomena tied to a particular place...you can range broadly, between Area 51, the Hague, Jerusalem, the Red Square, Silk Road, Taiwan, Washington DC, the North Pole, and Zanzibar.

[@aurelijusvienasdu5984]

Most of the chernobyl tales on youtube or tv were half assed ..it’s a joy to see that someone took their time and did it properly Love your format keep it up I’m definitely subscribing your new channel if you launch it 👍

[@zacharyboettcher9815]

I really enjoyed this kind of bio. You should definitely do more of these

[@brentgranger7856]

The city of Pripyat and other atomic cities in the USSR were, as Simon points out, paradises for the Soviet worker. Living in these towns was a privilege for the Soviet worker. This disaster is an example of the flaws of communism, especially when you give better living standards to a specific group of workers determined to stay there by all means necessary. The worker may object to safety practices, but would either submit to the standard or be exiled from paradise. From what I've read, the #4 reactor was hastily built just so the workers could enjoy bonuses.

[@ladycheyne5607]

This sounds like American capitalism, too. The top percenters are willing to do anything to stay in their spot🤔

[@jeff2049]

Brent Granger yeah honestly i dont think this disaster is in any way an example of the flaws of communism. communism definitely has its flaws but i dont really see the connection here. in fact, a friend of mine lives in the middle of nowhere, in texas, working 12 hour shifts (he was a geology major) daily, in boring conditions, for 3 months straight, then gets 2 weeks off. but he has to do it bc the pay is decent. on that outlook, i guess we can say both capitalism and communism have their flaws, though again, i dont see the correlation to either economic system, as both scenarios can happen under either system

[@jordan_roadhouse4798]

@@jeff2049 At least in capitalism you can own private property.

[@Vesnicie]

Great video. The HBO series currently airing is also definitely worth the watch.

[@TheMorganVEVO]

Yes! It was excellent!

[@liamweaver2944]

@@TheMorganVEVO Well actually it’s not great, but not terrible

[@Blinkptx]

I need to rewatch it soon. Definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen.

[@somethinglikethat2176]

@@liamweaver2944 about a 3.6 on my dosimeter

[@ChickenLiver911]

I dunno. It was obviously very entertaining to watch, but it was ridiculously unfair to Anatoly Dyatlov. He might not have been easy to work with, but he wasn’t quite as bad as they depicted him.

[@Wyattearpp]

You mentioned the Deepwater Horizon, perhaps a future Biographics could be on that disaster? Love the idea of expanding to events as well

[@brotherjumbi7949]

Grand idea, I think. I'd love more Biographics about historical events and places.

[@Whitelightnin76]

Comparing nuclear fallout to a fart lmao

[@christopherrhodes3228]

Some of the worst farts have particles that come for the ride, just as so with a nuclear explosion.

[@raymondrogers1401]

Nature be like that tho

[@MyFairDinkum]

Right? I love metaphors, and this is one of the best I have ever heard. It makes sense on so many levels that it's brilliant, lol

[@o.osuq-madiq2008]

@@raymondrogers1401 not so much nature farting... But farting on a national socioeconomic style level. Entire countries smelled ussr do that. Whew!

[@UnchainedAmerica]

Simon was mocking the Soviet's PR failure to cover up the disaster with a shrug of the shoulders.

[@_mgiles]

Chernoblyl is so fascinating to me. the end really helped put into perspective of how much of a disaster it really is.

[@philipeby5418]

You should do more research. They got many many things, very very wrong

[@yourmajesty3569]

I've been addicted to this channel. And now have another channel from you to look forward to!!!! I love history, and you give me my fix almost daily. MORE!!!

[@michelleroxy21]

I’ve watched a lot of videos on Chernobyl, but this one was definitely the most informative. Thanks, Simon💖

[@humbertocobian4740]

You look like a bug that fell in a makeup palette lol.

[@ember-evergarden]

smh kyle hill's is much better.

[@MegaZz23]

Also, Simon looks like a more intellectual version of Johnny Sins lmao

[@CovfefeDotard]

Almighty Loaf 😮

[@kenxclout]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@MegaZz23]

Minus the beard

[@joshuabryant9845]

can never unsee this. thx

[@boost1606]

Burned into my brain.

[@DMJoeBing]

Rewatching this after the Top Tenz video from the other day and realized this was sort of a backdoor pilot for Geographics. Well played.

[@calcuttarasta]

Bless you Simon Whistler. The world is better (and more intelligent) because of you and your team's exhaustively researched efforts.

[@Xray21207]

I recently visited Chernobyl on a day trip whilst visiting Ukraine last month. The powerplant still has a lot of workers and employees but Chernobyl village and pripyat are so sad to walk around 😭

[@commandersmith2327]

And thus the seeds of geographics was planted

[@freddieellis8449]

Loved it! Always find this channel fascinating. Opens up a whole new sector for topics. Like Tiananmen Square, the Massacre of Glencoe and 9/11. Please keep going.

[@evilnewt]

Simon saying fart really caught me off guard. 🤸🤸🤸🤸

[@PondoSinatra680]

Abigail Williams Sweden told Moscow “You denied it, you supplied it.”

[@dylanthepickle6428]

Hahaha that’s what I thought! @abigail Williams

[@Zephyrmec]

Hey Ivan, pull my finger.....

[@Taizu314]

“The geopolitical equivalent of he who smelt it dealt it” is a phrase I never thought I’d hear.

[@calisahardy4845]

It sounded so regal.... Lol

[@MichalProzac]

Most interesting. A small point to make - Soviets originally wanted to use robots to take care of the cleanup not people. What they found out was that the radiation destroyed their electronics. Now the new sarcophagus again uses robots to deal with the mess. This time the robots should last longer as the cesium 137 which is the main contaminant has decayed away, or at least most of it. The 24 thousand years in the end well... that is the Plutonium which was in the reactor. And there was not as much of it so it poses a risk only if you would eat or drink it. Or hold it near you for example in clothes (as dust particles). But even now living in "The zone" would not dramatically shorten your life span. It would just increase your cancer risk. There is a group of scientists who lived and worked directly with the reactor for over 10 years and most of them (except one heart failure) are fine.

[@philipeby5418]

The RBMK reactor at Chernobyl ran on unenriched uranium. There is no where near enough U235 concentration to create a prompt critical reaction. The explosion risk from the water in the basement was risk of a steam explosion, not a nuclear weapon type (prompt critical) explosion. Also, the remaining reactors operation was changed significantly to reduce the positive void coefficient making it far safer to operate going forward.

[@devastator6570]

Fun fact about the Swedish. When they detected the radiation from Chernobyl, they originally thought it was a leak at their own nuclear plant and did a full sweep and found no cracks. It’s only after that, they wondered who did it

[@davyt0247]

Yep Forzmark NPP the radiation alarm kept going off when the day shift on the Monday after the explosion tried to report to work, (they have to pass through a radiation monitor to do so), and everyone set the alarm off, so the first thing they did was check the entire plant from top to bottom, even checked the chimneys. Once they finished, nothing was wrong, their plant was in perfect condition. Then they checked the wind direction, and the only place it could be coming from was the Soviet Union, so they went “Hey U.S.S.R.! What the heck did you guys do?!?!?!?!?”

[@TC-cx4gm]

Absolutely love this idea! Keep doing these kind of place event videos!

[@ricardomayorga4613]

Love the idea of a place instead of a person. Nice twist. Will definitely be in the lookout for more. thanks

[@DCGamingNetwork]

I'm surprised, you didn't talk about the mass of nuclear fallout known as "The Elephant's Foot"

[@zepher664]

Nuclear fallout is nuclear material that is propelled into the upper atmosphere and falls out of the sky. The Elephant's Foot is a radioactive mass of lava-like fuel containing material, or corium.

[@tukyleith]

The Elephants Foot is very interesting.

[@AshleyBlackwater]

Its not really all that relevant to the disaster a a whole. A Lot of things where skimmed over if not mentioned at all. It's a huge subject.

[@dx1450]

The Elephant's Foot isn't fallout, it's the remains of the reactor core which melted down. It's still highly radioactive and very hot to this day. It's so radioactive that if you were to enter the underground room it's in, you would die very quickly. In fact, when they roll cameras into the room to look at it, the cameras only work for a limited amount of time before the radiation destroys them, IIRC.

[@joshMorgan111]

There is a real life lore video about it if you are interested

[@jamesrakeii795]

I've been binging all of these related channels in the past couple weeks. Lot of interesting stuff. I'll definitely keep watching.

[@floydroadheroes]

Excellent video! Loved it. Love all your videos! THanks for them all Simon. Love your wit as well included!

[@BronxLockPicker60Rodriguez]

Simon, thank you for this wonderful peice , I was in tears throughout the whole video. My heart goes out to everyone there , especially the Liquidators. Now a small word on you. You are my favorite KZbinr in this genre. I started watching Top Tenz about ten years ago. Keep up the amazing work.

[@roymartin500]

The literary fart comparisons are comedy gold.

[@MrTony1995]

Anyway, nuclear power is the most efficient energy source on the planet, and (while the plant doesn´t go boom boom) one of the most friendly to the enviroment, this is why we need to put the ITER proyect into overdrive.

[@RankinMsP]

No. No it isn't.

[@somethinglikethat2176]

@@RankinMsP fossil fuels kill millions per year in pollution, no worries. Millions of solar panels are manufactured containing things like lead and cadmium, yeah we should think about recycling them one day. To the third world for now I guess. Btw nuclear is lower carbon than solar.

[@levz360]

I binge watch all of your videos from several of your channels. I tend to watch them in playlists so I fail to like every one I watch or even enjoy. I apologize for this and would like to say how much I appreciate these educational and fascinating videos. Everything from the writers, editors, and of course, you Simon. Thank you guys and gals.

[@fikanera838]

I discovered this channel last week when the Henrietta Lacks video popped up in my feed. As soon as Simon mentioned multiple videos a week, I realised there must be quite a team involved, so thankyou very much to you all. I love the idea of 'place' biographies, & particularly enjoy the lesser-known topics, or ones, like this, with a lot of suppressed information. Ok, I'm off to check your back catalogue!

[@CreedK]

I'd love more videos about places and events! Nice change of pace and more variety.

[@jdpeh4me]

Very interesting and heartbreaking. I remember when all this stuff happened at Cherynobyl. I was just 8 years old at the time. I can remember seeing the pictures in the National Geographic magazine, and thinking this is horrible! It's interesting that anyone would want to visit this place today, since it's so radioactive! Keep up the good work, guys. Your biographies are always quite good and interesting.

[@stunitech]

I think it's pretty safe as long as you don't spend a lot of time there. Radioactivity is a cumulative thing so it's all about dose over time

[@JBrodo]

"The story of a town that blew up an empire." *Kisses fingertips* perfect.

[@theoneandonlyguyallikian1190]

The only man who can somehow analogize the worst nuclear disaster in history with a fart joke and somehow manage to do it in a respectful manner.

[@DangerAngelous]

I can always count on you Simon to deliver information for an assignment that is due in less than 3 hours :D

[@Dan-uf2vh]

so the Chernobyl disaster was like the 5 year old kid testing ice with his foot, solidly plunging himself in

[@elizabethferrier6429]

This is an excellent video. I would welcome more of this calibre.

[@warsmithmia]

Regarding the Swedish response: the reason it was caught was because workers at Forsmark NPP measured higher doses of radiation OUTSIDE the powerplant than Inside. After looking for leaks a while they made a quick calculation over wind directions the last few days and Welp, there was only one possible source: "Hey guys! Guess what the USSR just did!"

[@davyt0247]

What happened was the day shift at Forsmark NPP tried to report to work, and kept setting off the radiation alarm. They got worried (can’t be too safe when nuclear fuel is involved), so they checked the entire place from top to bottom (even inside the chimneys!). Nothing was wrong with the plant so it had to be coming from somewhere else. They took measurements, then checked the wind direction, then went “Hey U.S.S.R.!!! What the heck did you do?!?!?!?

[@ramendragon3628]

I like the change of pace; keep up the good work mate!

[@Terelamans]

Yes please, do more like this one. I do remember it quite well. There is so much more to it, I did not know. Thanks.

[@Biographics]

Check out our new channel Geographics :)

[@mahadaalvi]

How about make this a different series called something like "Docugraphics"? I feel like this is more of a mini documentary more than a biography 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@actuallywaffles5267]

I mean he's got like 1500 channels, so I can see why he might not wanna add another to the list.

[@CreeperHyena]

@@actuallywaffles5267 yes, and on these other channels, he has stuff like this.

[@Biographics]

We are going to have a Geography channel in 2019.

[@justinianthegreatt]

@@Biographics can't wait

[@ruralstar]

Only recently discovered your channel. I'm really enjoying all of the videos. You have a straightforward style when presenting your topics. A little editorializing but mostly 'just the facts'. I've learned quite a lot about people and I'm looking forward to your take on other events. Great first choice in Chernobyl. Your videos make me want to learn more about the topics. The absolute best use of the internet is education IMO.

[@FishMcFish420]

"It's not like the entire USSR was going to complex in the next half decade or so, right?" ~*The Gang Collapses the Entire USSR*~

[@t1dmpedsnurse59]

I really love these kinds of videos! I’m a nurse and I work overnights so I need something to listen to. I tend to listen to your videos while I’m charting. More please!

[@HiltTilt]

Love the idea, please continue this series!

[@MorkaSsailing]

Great work, more of those please

[@klardfarkus3891]

It is not a certainty that Chernobyl will prove to be a bigger disaster than Fukushima. Though the Chernobyl disaster polluted the air, Fukushima involves at least three times the volume of radioactive material and that material is poisoning the oceans. So Fukushima over time may cause greater damage.

[@elhombredeoro955]

Do one on Bhopal gas tragedy.

[@elhombredeoro955]

@@namgyallharipa8206 I am half Indian and half Argentinian. I have never been to Mexico.

[@izzojoseph2]

Amazing. Such important history with great detail. I’m on the road a LOT and prefer your stations to anything on the radio!

[@Biographics]

Thank you.

[@PiterDeVries668]

Dude, you are soooooo much better than any doc style shows on tv, if you can even find them anymore... You really need your own tv channel to run.

[@Wittle_Boyo]

Hows about a Biographics on Stan Lee?

[@angiecuteass]

total waste of time...

[@Crackdalf]

They probably wouldn't do one so soon after his death

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

not really. He was an incredibly influential person in pop culture. Maybe more-so (no. Definitely more so) than George Lucas.

[@Wittle_Boyo]

Exactly. When I made the suggestion, I don't think he'd capitalize on tragedy. No, I imagine he'd make the video in good spirit and to inform people. I didn't imagine any malicious intent here.

[@nevio2658]

Widdle_PuppyFace I mean, I wouldn’t call Stan Lee’s natural death a “tragedy”. That seems a bit dramatic. I’m sure they will release a bio on Stan Lee in the next month or two.

[@Edq51]

Great idea, do some more events

[@StoriesbyIrish]

Other "location bios" that I think would be interesting: Titanic Centralia Pearl Harbor Salem St. Augustine

[@StoriesbyIrish]

There is also a town underwater in Romania, I believe, that would be a good episode for Biographics to cover.

[@MiniM69]

Atlantis, the Library at Alexandria, Tombstone, the Alamo

[@otnat2094]

Wow. Someone else who knows about Centralia. I'd love to see a biography of that city.

[@TheWolfElder]

As someone that's relatively close to Centralia.. I agree.

[@themasterninja110]

I second the titanic and Salem.

[@tbildz]

I really like that you strayed a bit from the norm to cover an event vs a single person. Lots of opportunity there. Great work that you do.

[@ChrisHodges87]

Outstanding. Great idea to pick cities and places. Your formula translates brilliantly to cities and events. Your content is high quality and healthily informative (not celebrity pop or emotionalized politics) Good work and good luck. WR/Chris

[@coltburns6318]

How many people are watching this after watching hbos amazing Chernobyl miniseries lol?

[@thecosmicaesthetic]

I want too see more disaster videos and maybe disease outbreaks throughout history. You would make some pretty damn good videos

[@RobertLeather]

If the reactor had hit the water it would not have created nuclear explosion, as you stated. The explosion would have been thermal but the resulting contamination would have rendered the area uninhabitable for over a hundred years. As for the death of that two divers who released the water. Not true, they were found to be alive. It's in the Wikipedia article with lots of references.

[@davidmckenzie4373]

I'm not sure who to believe. The hour and a half documentary featuring interviews with former Soviet leaders and leaders from the International Atomic Energy Agency or the wikipedia article and Robert here

[@LordHydrik]

@@davidmckenzie4373 why not both

[@LordHydrik]

@@davidmckenzie4373 why not both

[@ncommino]

I love this type of videos. I'm already enjoying your new channel. I would love to see a serial killer series.

[@carlablack2785]

Thank you for this video 🎉❤ I watch all of your videos

[@JoeStunner]

I will be visiting Chernbykl and Pripyat in June. It's a subject that fascinates me, so thank you for this excellent video.

[@kalagannaway397]

How was it?

[@jenniferjustice8895]

Yes I’m curious to how it was!

[@lagitanavderoscio]

I respect your profound fart analogy. BTW, great idea. How about Panama Canal?

[@davidhamlin7932]

This story has always got to the core of Me no pun intended. ever since I first learned about it in junior high it's been one of the creepiest stories of my life and it's a true story which makes it even more creepy.

[@geoffreypate362]

I love the Biography on a place, please keep doing "Biographies" on places/events, they are just if not more interesting than individuals.

[@lerigan]

This was a great episode. More historical recounts of locales would be definitely welcome!

[@Deanna974]

Your accent and cadence sometimes reminds me of Nigel from the The Wild Thornberrys :)

[@chickendrawsdogs3343]

I don't know if I'm ready to see the upcoming HBO's series "Chernobyl"...

[@Edax_Royeaux]

Well, episode one was pretty good. Honor the memory of those firefighters by witnessing their struggle.

[@andym28]

Its awesome

[@pyromania1018]

It's a powerhouse miniseries.

[@rurushu8094]

Chicken Draws Dogs I’ve the whole thing 3 times and I’m probably gonna go for another run.

[@nerissacrawford8017]

It is a lot to consume. Get ready for long periods processing what you've had taken. It will leave you numb. It will leave you bereft. Breathe. It is an excruciating ride, infuriating too.

[@monzy-]

Its crazy to think that Chernobyl wont be habitable by humans until sometime like year 22,000

[@ScooterinAB]

Hell. It's crazy that it's going to take 100 years to dismantle the plant underneath the new sarcophagus. Perhaps this unthinkable scale of time is why we need to be absolutely sure about using nuclear power.

[@zappawoman5183]

The wildlife has done well, as the main danger is cancer which takes a long time to develop and animals like wolves and owls have such a short lifespan it doesn't really effect how long they live. With people out of the area, the wildlife and vegetation has flourished. There is a thriving population of wolves, birds and cats who have turned feral.

[@ScooterinAB]

... If you ignore all the cancer, mutations, and infertility. I wouldn't call species dying out "thriving."

[@ObsidianCrocodile]

Brilliant,I love these. Very tragic subject and at the same time intriguing. RIP to everyone who died.

[@lauraheyman2011]

I have never been interested in history, but I enjoy listening to Simon explain the life and times of people. Thank you for sharing with us.

[@LordHoth_90]

Look at this place, fifty-thousand people used to live in this city, now it's a ghost town. I've never seen anything like it.

[@NoSTs123]

The video was good. I'm just having a problem with the video title because Chernobyl happened long before the towers collapsed and is still very dangerous. I think a nuclear meltdown is far worse than destruction of a building over a long period of time. This stuff will give off radiation and when we're all dead.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

It depends. I saw many comments on HBO's first episode of Chernobyl about how everyone thought all those people watching the reactor burn were practically dead men walking. But the lethality of radiation has been greatly exaggerated in the public conscience. Radiation is a terrible poison, but it's actually very difficult to receive a lethal dose. What makes radiation so terrible is that it burns away years of your life and sticks around the environment for decades.

[@Skeezix1]

You didn't mention the Elephant's Foot at all.

[@ChickenLiver911]

I don’t think Simon did the nuclear engineers fair here. A number of them doubted the intelligence of continuing the safety test after they stalled the reactor and choked it with unburned Xenon, but they continued because they were ordered to and then when they tried to get water back into it and it began to steam up they tried to press the button that might shut it down. However they were uninformed that the tips of the control rods were in fact not Boron, but graphite. Graphite did nothing but accelerate the explosion.

[@curlytemple79]

Loved this! I always had trouble understanding exactly what happened at Chernobyl. This was well done. Ty