By Richard T. Cartwright, PE, CHMM, (IHMM, AHMP and APICS) Fellow
The saying, “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it” is more than a cliché. It is a reminder that we must constantly be learning from the past. Here’s a look back at major historical events that happened today in the world of hazardous materials.
April 25, 2007
World Malaria Day was first observed. Every year since, it is observed on April 25 to recognize global efforts to control malaria. It is one of eight official global public health campaigns currently marked by the World Health Organization, along with World Health Day, World Blood Donor Day, World Immunization Week, World Tuberculosis Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Hepatitis Day and World AIDS Day. Globally, 3.3 billion people in 106 countries are at risk of malaria. In 2012, malaria caused 627,000 deaths, mostly among African children.
April 25, 1990
The Hubble Space Telescope was placed into orbit around Earth. The bad news is that a lens aberration was soon discovered. The good news is that in 1993 space-walking astronauts successfully fixed the problem. Free of atmospheric distortions, Hubble had a resolution 10 times that of ground-based observatories. It enabled astronomers to see billions of years into our universe’s past.
April 25, 1961
An American unmanned Mercury rocket exploded at an elevation of 4 inches from its Cape Canaveral, Fla. launch pad. Then on May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American astronaut to travel on a Mercury rocket into outer space and safely return.
April 25, 1959
The St. Lawrence Seaway linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes opened. It facilitated cost-effective international shipment of hazardous materials. However, it opened the door to the Great Lakes for invasive species such as Zebra mussels.
April 25, 1874
Guglielmo Marconi, Italian electrical engineer and inventor, was born. He invented the wireless telegraph, which is known today as the radio.
April 25, 1865
Edward Roberts, an American inventor, received a patent for an explosive torpedo successfully used to open an obstructed oil well bore near Titusville, Pa.
April 25, 1859
Ground was broken for construction of the Suez Canal. It linked the Mediterranean and Red Seas in 1869. Today, the Suez Canal is a major corridor for the transport of hazardous and non-hazardous materials.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
