Scientist Narrated His Own Death From Radiation Poisoning

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]Did you know a scientist once narrated his own death from radiation poisoning?

[00:00:04]May 21st, 1946, Los Alamos Laboratory, Louis Slotin was demonstrating a plutonium experiment when his screwdriver slipped. The demon core went critical. A blue flash filled the room.

[00:00:17]>> [music] >> Slotin knew instantly he was dead. He calmly told his colleagues exactly how much radiation each had received, then began nine days of horror. Slotin stayed conscious, describing his symptoms as his cells died. His hands blistered, his white blood cells vanished. He documented everything, knowing he was the experiment now. The scientist became his own final test subject.