Nuclear fission will become increasingly useful in global energy production in the near future. The reasons are numerous, but can be summarized by the relative ease of reliable energy production provided. This is not without many disadvantages. But it is the fact that nuclear fission provides a huge amount of reliable electrical energy at a relatively low cost that has prompted many countries to study the possibilities of nuclear power generation. Understanding why nuclear energy would be the only option (at this time) for an alternative to burning fossil fuels for energy production means understanding its history, current global energy production from nuclear energy, and where it will go in the near future. The first man-made nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile 1, reached critical status on December 2, 1942 (Department of Energy 1982). This crude reactor looked more like a wood and brick pylon than what many think of a nuclear reactor. This reactor was built under the supervision of both Enrico Fermi (who, together with J. Robert Oppenheimer, are known as the “fathers of the atomic bomb”) and Leo Szilard (the first to conceive the idea of ​​a nuclear chain reaction ). Szilard is responsible for the formation of the Manhattan Project (Department of Energy 2006). Even more important for energy production, the reactor consisted of a series of stacks of uranium and graphite bricks, with wooden planks providing both support and structural references. The control mechanisms consisted of cadmium-coated rods that easily absorbed the free-flowing neutrons of the controlled chain reaction. This first reaction produced only ½ watt of energy, but within ten days the production was 20…… half of the paper……: Characterisation, treatment and environmental impacts. Berlin: Springer.Stacy, Susan M. 2000. Providing the Principle: A History of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory: 1949-1999. Idaho Falls: Department of Energy Idaho Field Office.U.S. Department of Energy. 1982. The first reactor. Washington: Department of Energy. Accessible website: www.nuclear.energy.gov/pdfFiles/DE00782931.pdf. Accessed November 20, 2011. United States Department of Energy. 2006. The history of nuclear energy. Washington: Department of Energy. Accessible website: www.nuclear.energy.gov/pdfFiles/History.pdf. Accessed November 20, 2011. United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Website accessed: http://www.nrc.gov. Accessed November 20, 2011.Wittman, Nora. 2011. The race for Africa's nuclear resources. New African (June): 72-74.