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The Demon Core's First Victim
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Science Gone WrongJun 15, 2026

The Demon Core's First Victim

The Demon Core's First Victim Harry Daghlian was 24 years old. He was stacking tungsten bricks around plutonium. One brick slipped from his hand. The sphere went critical instantly. He pulled the brick off with bare fingers. That saved his colleagues. It killed him 25 days later.

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Source

Los Alamos National Laboratory historical report LA-13638, 'A Review of Criticality Accidents' (2000 revision), Daghlian case file

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