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EBR-I nuclear reactor fuel rods and core. The Experimental Breeder Reactor No. 1 (EBR-I) was the first nuclear reactor in the world to produce usable energy. It was built near Arco, Idaho, USA, and operated from 1951 to 1963. It was designated a US National Historic Landmark in 1965 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The plutonium fuel rods (upper centre), were loaded into the reactor core through the hole at centre. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/JIM WEST/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)