The BORAX experiments at the National Reactor Testing Station in eastern Idaho tested boiling water reactor safety and helped lay the groundwork for modern nuclear power. Beginning in 1952, Argonne National Laboratory used five reactors to study whether water could boil directly in the core while remaining controllable, showing that steam formation could reduce the reaction. Several tests deliberately pushed reactors into destructive conditions to improve safety understanding and reactor models. BORAX-III became the first nuclear reactor in the United States to supply electricity to the grid, briefly powering Arco. Later work examined thorium fuel, damaged fuel behavior, and superheater concepts, while also leaving lasting contamination and buried debris on the site.