By Richard T. Cartwright, PE, CHMM, (IHMM, AHMP and APICS) Fellow.
Richard died April 21, 2025; honoring the work he did with hazmat history is one small way to keep his memory alive.
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 3, 1996
American Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, was arrested by FBI agents at his cabin in remote Montana. The elusive terrorist was responsible for 16 mail bombs that killed 3 people and injured 23 during an 18-year period. He had developed a philosophy of radical environmentalism and militant opposition to modern technology.
April 3, 1974
Within 16 hours, 148 tornadoes struck the North American heartland (11 states and Ontario, Canada), where 330 people died. The worst-hit location was Xenia, Ohio. It took 200 trucks three months to haul away the rubble. Afterwards, many towns installed tornado-warning sirens to minimize future damage from deadly twisters.
April 3, 1973
First portable phone call was placed by American inventor Martin Cooper. The portable phone was 10 inches tall, 3 inches deep and 1.5 inches wide; it weighed 30 ounces. Cooper’s first ”shoebox” phone replaced a car phone of the time that weighed more than 30 pounds and cost thousands of dollars. A car phone owner had to drill a hole in the car to install the antenna and most of the phone sat in the trunk. A control unit with a handset was placed inside the car’s cabin.
April 3, 1965
The United States launched its first atomic powered spacecraft SNAP 10A. SNAP stands for Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power. Although the Soviet Union has flown many nuclear reactors in space, SNAP-10A is the only one flown by the United States.
April 3, 1934
Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, British ethologist, was born. She is best known for her research in Tanzania. She found that chimpanzees occasionally hunt in groups and eat meat, have a range of social customs including group warfare, and teach their offspring to use tools they’ve manufactured.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
