Hope and Energy: Hanford’s 1960s Nuclear Footage Revisited

• Promotional film from 1960s showcases Washington State industries.
• Hanford, a nuclear reactor in Washington, is among the places spotlighted.
• The film speaks about peacetime applications for nuclear energy.

⬇️ Keep scrolling to see historic footage of Hanford!

Tri-Cities residents look at nuclear energy and the Hanford site a lot differently than outsiders. Nuclear power is embraced, and jokes about radioactivity are brushed off without a second thought.

I still remember when, a few months after I moved to the area, Last Week Tonight released a segment on nuclear waste spotlighting Hanford. Someone sent it to me and said "By the way, you just moved here." I didn't feel too positive about the proximity to the big evil nuclear waste site then. After all, I'd grown up in Southern California where sentiments were extremely anti-nuclear.

I don't know when it happened, but eventually I stopped seeing Hanford as a proverbial boogeyman. Living so close to the site, you begin to realize that the average resident of Tri-Cities has nothing to fear from the reactor and that many safeguards are in place to alert us if something happens.

Of course, Hanford folks will also tell you what happens at Hanford, stays at Hanford, and that we never see the full picture outside the site - but hey, sometimes ignorance gives peace of mind.

Historical footage of Hanford speaks hopefully of nuclear energy

In going through this year's election ballot, I was reminded of this positive attitude toward nuclear energy as each candidate that mentioned power clearly embraced it as a move to a cleaner and more cost-effective future. So it was interesting when I stumbled across this film from the 1960s, showcasing Washington State's industry opportunities - including those at Hanford.

Take a look at the stills and the video below to take a glimpse back into the past!

(Hanford footage begins in the above video around the 17:30 mark)

Pretty fascinating, right? They only mentioned cancer research specifically in the video, but Hanford and other private companies, along with universities, have been doing extensive research into nuclear energy and radioactivity since its wartime origins.