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.
January 31, 1961
The United States sent a Chimpanzee named Ham into space. The successful test ensured that human beings could survive space flight, think clearly and perform useful functions outside Earth’s atmosphere. During a 16.5-minute suborbital flight, Ham experienced 7 minutes of weightlessness, reached an altitude of 108 miles and speed of 13,000 mph. He was wired to medical sensors to monitor his vital signs. During the flight, Ham performed some simple tasks such as pulling levers when a light came on for a reward of banana pellets. Ham was recovered safely 1,425 miles downrange. After Ham’s successful flight, NASA was ready to launch the first Mercury astronaut, Alan Shepard, into sub-orbital flight three months later.
January 31, 1958
The United States entered the space age by launching its first successful orbiting satellite, Explorer-I, four months after the Soviets launched Sputnik. It measured cosmic radiation and led to the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belt. The American satellite was 80 inches long, 6 inches in diameter and weighed 31 pounds.
January 31, 1953
A sudden surge, or wall of water, caused by a fierce storm and high spring tide, burst through dikes and over the banks of low-lying coastal areas in eastern England, northern Belgium, and southern Netherlands. The North Sea flood destroyed 1 million acres of farmland, wiped out 50,000 buildings, killed 1,500 people died, and left 300,000 homeless.
January 31, 1950
President Truman publicly announced his decision to support development of the hydrogen bomb, a weapon hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II. Three years later, the Soviet Union detonated its first hydrogen bomb on the same principle of radiation implosion. With both superpowers in possession of hydrogen bombs, our world started living under threat of thermonuclear war for the first time in history.
January 31, 1906
An earthquake of 8.8-magnitude struck Colombia in South America. It was one of the largest earthquakes in world history.
January 31, 1851
Gail Borden, an American inventor, received a patent for his process of condensing milk by vacuum. In 1862, he patented the process of condensing fruit juice from apples and grapes.
January 31, 1769
André-Jacques Garnerin, a French aeronaut, was born. He was the first person to use a parachute regularly and successfully. In 1797, Garnerin jumped from a hot-air balloon at 3,000 feet. His parachute somewhat resembled an umbrella. The descent was a success, except that he shook back and forth violently while falling. The French physicist Jerome Lalande, who attended the event, suggested improving air flow with a small opening at top of the canopy.
January 31, 1747
The first clinic specializing in treating venereal diseases opened at London Dock Hospital.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
