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.
November 8, 2004
Following four years of Arctic study, an international team of 300 scientists announced the Arctic is warming at nearly twice the rate as the rest of the globe. Subsequent satellite imagery shows a continually shrinking ice cap, with most years scoring new annual lows. What the exact loss of Arctic ice will mean for the world’s future weather and climate is not well understood. Accelerated climate change due to loss of polar reflectivity (albedo) is a major concern.
November 8, 1997
The Yangtze River was blocked in preparation for the world’s largest hydroelectric power project. The benefit was cheap and abundant hydroelectric power in China. The cost was the displacement of thousands of people and major ecological impacts.
November 8, 1931
American chemist Fredrick Allison reportedly discovered the heaviest halogen, astatine (atomic number 85). Astatine was first synthesized and correctly identified in 1940 by bombarding bismuth with alpha particles. All astatine isotopes are highly radioactive and very short lived. In the 1920s and ‘30s, scientists were eager to find the elements 85 and 87, as predicted by Mendeleev’s periodic chart.
November 8, 1923
American electrical engineer Jack St. Clair Kilby was born. His interest in electronics grew out of his school-age hobby of amateur radio. Working at Texas Instruments, he devised a way to miniaturize the complicated transistor circuit by building its components on a block of silicon with internal connections that eliminated external wiring. In 1965, Kilby’s team developed the first shirt-pocket electronic calculator using integrated circuits.
November 8, 1895
Wilhelm Roentgen, a German physicist, accidently discovered X-rays. While testing whether cathode rays could pass through glass, he noticed a glow coming from a nearby chemically coated screen. He dubbed the rays that caused this glow X-rays because of their unknown nature. Scientists were quick to realize the benefits of X-rays, but slower to comprehend the harmful effects of radiation. Initially, it was believed X-rays passed through flesh as harmlessly as light. However, within several years, researchers began to report cases of burns and skin damage after exposure to X-rays. During the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, many American shoe stores featured shoe-fitting fluoroscopes that used X-rays to enable customers to see the bones in their feet. Today, X-ray technology is widely used in medicine, material analysis, and devices such as airport security scanners.
November 8, 1656
Edmond Halley, English astronomer and mathematician, was born. He identified the proper motion of stars, studied the moon’s motion and tides, realized that nebulae were clouds of luminous gas among the stars, and discovered that the aurora borealis was associated with the Earth’s magnetism. Halley was the first to calculate the orbit of the comet that was named after him, which makes an appearance every 76 years.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
