# Younger Dopers: Ever heard of Three Mile Island? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 19, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956 "2011-04-19T14:21:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/1 "2011-04-19T14:21:28Z")
I just mentioned to a younger coworker (mid-20s?) that I drove past Three Mile Island this weekend. She gave me a blank stare and shrugged her shoulders. Dopers under 40, have you ever heard of it? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/2 "2011-04-19T14:28:59Z")
Yup, and I’m 33 FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Why](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/96bed5/32.png) [@Doctor\_Why](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Why)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/3 "2011-04-19T14:34:47Z")
I’m 31 and I know the basics about the incident. ---
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/4 "2011-04-19T14:34:57Z")
Yes. Three mile island is where then-Major Stryker had his laboratory/facility for creating his ultimate mutant, weapon-X. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/5 "2011-04-19T14:41:13Z")
I’m 30. I know it was there was a nuclear power plant accident there. Off the top of my head, it’s out east and 20+ years ago. If you put a gun to my head I’d say it’s in New York and 25 years ago.\* But that’s all I know about it, though I’m not sure there’s much more _too_ know about it. Was there anything else significant about it? \*…looking it up on wiki, I see it’s in PA and 31 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/6 "2011-04-19T14:41:28Z")
26 and I’ve heard of it. I remember vaguely learning about it in school. I remember doing a paper on Chernobyl but one of the options was Three Mile Island. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/7 "2011-04-19T14:44:43Z")
I’m 30, and I grew up in Canada, but I’ve heard of it. All I really know is that there was a nuclear power plant and some sort of accident happened there in the 70s. But I don’t see many mutants around so I figure it can’t have been all that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/8 "2011-04-19T14:49:24Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > But I don’t see many mutants around so I figure it can’t have been all that bad. They live in the sewers. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/9 "2011-04-19T14:50:09Z")
Yes. I’m 28. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/10 "2011-04-19T14:50:48Z")
36, and I know it was the site of a nuclear reactor meltdown that scared the crap out of a generation of people and lots of “No Nukes” protesting and changing regulations for nuclear power plants, but was ultimately no big deal in terms of damage to life or limb. It’s in Pennsylvania, although I always goof it and think it’s in New York for some reason (I think I conflate it with Staten Island, which of course is totally unrelated), in the middle of a river of some sort (I assume on the Island of the name, but it doesn’t look even one mile long, much less three, so I assume the “Three Mile” refers to something else), with several of those big smokestack looking things made of concrete. Ugly design. At least, that’s what I think I know. I may be entirely wrong. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/11 "2011-04-19T14:55:37Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > It’s in Pennsylvania, although I always goof it and think it’s in New York for some reason I always knew it was in PA, but I always thought it was in the north, somewhere near Lake Erie. I didn’t know that it was in the south, or on a river, until the other day. It’s funny because for years I had a roommate from York. He must have mentioned it but I guess I never tied it all together in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/12 "2011-04-19T15:14:20Z")
Yes, I’m 28 and I’ve heard of it. Bit sketchy on the details but I know it was the site of a nuclear incident (which to my understanding fortunately never killed anyone.) ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/13 "2011-04-19T15:16:28Z")
28, and yes, know a bit about it (happened late 70’s? In PA.) I remember learning about it (for like, maybe twney minutes) in my 20th century US history class in high scool. What I remember most is the picture in our history book…it was of Jimmy Carter (so I assume it happened during his presidency?) touring the facility after the accident had been cleaned up, but everyone in the picture was wearing bright yellow protective booties. I did more reading about it on my own over the last few years, though, because I’m pro-nuclear, and felt I should read up on the “worst modern US nuclear accident.” I didn’t know that there were no attributal deaths associated with the accident until then…I’m sure it was mentioned no one died in class, but I was probably spacing off. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/14 "2011-04-19T15:17:29Z")
I suppose I’m not so young anymore, but I am intimately familiar with it. My family moved to Enola PA, right down the Susquehanna River, in 1979 (I was 3), right about the time the accident happened. I’ve never lived more than a half-hour away from it since then, and I work in the shadow of it. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/15 "2011-04-19T15:20:33Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > I suppose I’m not so young anymore, but I am intimately familiar with it. My family moved to Enola PA, right down the Susquehanna River, in 1979 (I was 3), right about the time the accident happened. I’ve never lived more than a half-hour away from it since then, and I work in the shadow of it. I think if you live near it, it’s a different story. The friend that showed it to me moved to Mount Joy a year later than you did, and is a few years older. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/16 "2011-04-19T15:44:35Z")
Under 40 may not be young enough for the poll - a 39 year old would have been 8ish at the time, and it defintely received extensive coverage in the the primary news periodical for the demographic, Mad magazine. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/17 "2011-04-19T15:47:35Z")
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssss, :dubious: since I watch the news…? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/18 "2011-04-19T15:57:11Z")
Everyone’s heard of Three Mile Island. In fact, since the Fukushima accident, there’s _too much_ information available. Yes. The dreaded TMI TMI. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/19 "2011-04-19T15:59:38Z")
And yet my coworker hasn’t. Maybe she just avoids the news. ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956/20 "2011-04-19T16:04:10Z")
> [@whynot](#): > > 36, and i know it was the site of a nuclear reactor meltdown that scared the crap out of a generation of people and lots of “no nukes” protesting and changing regulations for nuclear power plants, but was ultimately no big deal in terms of damage to life or limb. > > It’s in pennsylvania, although i always goof it and think it’s in new york for some reason (i think i conflate it with staten island, which of course is totally unrelated), in the middle of a river of some sort (i assume on the island of the name, but it doesn’t look even one mile long, much less three, so i assume the “three mile” refers to something else), with several of those big smokestack looking things made of concrete. Ugly design. > > At least, that’s what i think i know. I may be entirely wrong. +1 37 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/younger-dopers-ever-heard-of-three-mile-island/578956.md?page=2)