What happend at the three mile island nuclear power plant?

Answer:
It's a complicated story to tell in full, but briefly the reactor lost coolant through a stuck open vent valve, the operators didn't believe the indications. This resulted in the fuel overheating and a partial fuel meltdown which released some radioactivity around the plant. After a lot of surveys and analysis it seems there was little if any risk to local population. That reactor is written off, the other one on site is operating.
First answer by Knapp1. Last edit by Knapp1. Contributor trust: 685 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 1 [recommend question].