On December 2, 1942, in a racquet court underneath the West Stands of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, a team of scientists led by Enrico Fermi created the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. This updated and revised story of the first reactor (or "pile") is based on postwar interviews (as told to Corbin Allardice and Edward Trapnell in their essay entitled "The First Pile") with more than a dozen of the 43 scientists present at the Stagg Field experiment. Also included are the firsthand reminiscences of Enrico Fermi, the Nobel prize-winning project director, and his wife, Laura. Written in the 1950s, they provide valuable insights into the human and technical challenges of a secret enterprise conducted by American and European refugee scientists. (A list of individuals present at the Chicago pile experiment on December 2, 1942 and a list of suggested books, articles and a motion picture are provided.) (JN)