That Time England Wanted to Use a Nuclear Bomb to Dig a Hole

After World War II, the world had only two nuclear powers, the US and the Soviet Union. As time passed, scientists began to think about using nuclear technology for things other than war, such as digging canals. What could possibly go wrong? In 1969, Britain had plan to conduct an underground nuclear explosion in a national park in Yorkshire. The purpose was to create a large hole for a gas storage tank in a very short time. As Americans, we are used to such stories, but Tom Scott found out about this forgotten plan, and was horrified. In the years since 1969, we figured out what an insane idea it was to use nuclear bombs for digging holes.