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.
August 9, 2001
President George H. W. Bush announced his support for federal funding of limited research on embryonic stem cells.
August 9, 1965
A fire and explosion occurred inside the underground Titan missile silo near Searcy, Ark.; 53 workers died. This was one of the largest industrial accidents in U.S. history.
August 9, 1945
The second atomic bomb (a plutonium device) was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. More than 70,000 people died from heat, radiation and blast effects. Three days earlier, the first atomic bomb (a uranium device) was dropped on Hiroshima. Six days later, Japan announced its unconditional surrender, thus finally ending World War II.
August 9, 1898
Rudolf Diesel, a German engineer, received a U.S. patent for an internal combustion engine that didn’t require a spark to ignite the fuel-air mixture. His diesel engine allowed trains and ships to operate more efficiently with oil instead of coal.
August 9, 1776
Count Amedeo Avogadro, Italian physicist, was born. He advanced the hypothesis that equal volumes of gasses under identical conditions of pressure and temperature contain the same number of molecules. His theory became known as Avogadro’s law. Physicists have since determined the number of molecules in gram-molecular weight and found that it is same for all gasses. Avogadro’s number is 6.022 x 10 to the 23rd units per mole.
August 9, 1593
Izaak Walton, an English author, was born. His argument for conservation inspired the founding of the Izaak Walton League of America.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
