In 1966, Michigan came dangerously close to a nuclear catastrophe—just 30 miles from downtown Detroit. A failed cooling system at the Fermi 1 fast breeder reactor caused a partial meltdown, releasing radiation and sparking a cover-up that lasted years.

Engineers blamed a loose piece of metal—described as “the size of a beer can”—for the failure.

In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we uncover the chilling truth behind America’s first commercial nuclear accident, how close we came to disaster, and why the public didn’t learn the full story until nearly a decade later. If you’ve never heard about the Fermi 1 reactor or why one book called it We Almost Lost Detroit, this episode explains it all—fact by radioactive fact.

Find out more about this incident at We Almost Lost Detroit: Michigan’s Forgotten Nuclear Disaster at Fermi 1

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