For more than half a century, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been quietly contributing to a better, safer world. In 1965, the Atomic Energy Commission selected Battelle, a not-for-profit research and development organization, to take over the Hanford Laboratories at a former Manhattan Project site in southeastern Washington State. At that time, Hanford was still producing plutonium to as part of the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. However, the laboratory’s capabilities extended far beyond, offering significant advancements in environmental and energy sciences, chemistry, biology, and national security. Battelle renamed the facility Pacific Northwest Laboratory, which was designated a national laboratory in the mid-1980s. Today, Battelle continues to operate PNNL for the Department of Energy.
PNNL has always been a place where great minds tackle great challenges. Our researchers have developed numerous technologies, from the compact disc to ubiquitous airport security scanners, global climate models, and much more.
Explore PNNL’s impact on the world in an interactive timeline
Discover our scientific achievements, technologies that have been transferred to industry—impacting national and global markets—campus expansion efforts, collaborations with industry and academia, and responses to national and world events. Click the button below to view an interactive timeline of PNNL's 60-year history.
How to Use the Timeline
The interactive timeline is optimized for viewing on desktop/laptop computers but is also usable on mobile devices.
- Scroll through the horizontal timeline by using one of the following methods: use the scrollwheel, right-click and drag with your mouse, or swipe left or right on touchscreen devices.
- Click or tap on an event card to see more detail and access additional links, images, and media.
- Click or tap on a star along the bottom of the timeline to jump to a specific decade or view a particular highlight.
Mobile-friendly/Accessible View
An alternative list view is available below the main timeline, which may be preferable for mobile users or those who rely on adaptive tools and settings to browse the web.
Jump to the mobile-friendly/accessible view of the PNNL history timeline