Initially created to carry out the work of Enrico Fermi on nuclear reactors as part of the Manhattan Project, Argonne National Laboratory (named for the surrounding woods at the time) became the first national laboratory on July 1, 1946.

Much of the early work at the lab produced breakthroughs in nuclear technology. Since then, the lab has expanded to include a number of areas including energy storage and renewable energy, environmental sustainability, supercomputing, and national security.

Several key components of battery storage technology in hybrid and electric cars have been made at Argonne (source: The Powerhouse by Steve Levine).

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