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.
October 17, 1989
The Loma Prieta earthquake (7.1 magnitude) struck The San Francisco Bay Area. It caused $5 billion in damage and killed 67 people. The Loma Prieta earthquake, best known for cancelling the third game of the World Series, was one of the most destructive ever to hit a populated area of the United States. It contributed to a deep recession that California suffered in early 1990s.
October 17, 1982
A New York Times headline stated, “EPA Plans to Curb Use of Toxaphene.” The EPA restricted the use of toxaphene, which had been identified as a possible cancer-causing substance. The pesticide had been used widely to protect cotton crops in the south, but it has also been detected recently in fish in the Great Lakes. This led scientists to conclude that winds were sweeping the pesticide into far wider areas.
October 17, 1973
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries initiated a five-month oil embargo against the United States. The embargo was a new “oil diplomacy” strategy that prohibited any nation from buying oil that had supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War with Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The ensuing energy crisis marked the end of the era of cheap gasoline and caused New York Stock Exchange share values to drop by $97 billion. This ushered in one of the worst recessions the United States has ever seen.
October 17, 1855
Sir Henry Bessemer, British inventor and metallurgist, patented an inexpensive steel-making process. His mass production method was achieved via blasting compressed air through molten iron to remove impurities and excess carbon.
October 17, 1833
Paul Bert, French physiologist, was born. He is regarded as the father of modern aerospace medicine. Bert discovered that animal illness at high altitudes was caused by the low oxygen content of the sparse atmosphere. He studied the bends, suffered by deep-sea divers coming up too quickly to the surface from great pressures of the depths. Bert demonstrated that high external pressures force large quantities of atmospheric nitrogen to dissolve in the blood. Then, during rapid decompression, nitrogen forms gas bubbles that obstruct capillaries. His book is considered a cornerstone publication for diving medicine, hyperbaric medicine, and aerospace medicine.
October 17, 1814
A deadly flood of beer occurred in London, England. A poorly maintained vat containing 135,000 imperial gallons of beer ruptured, causing additional vats in the same building to collapse in a domino effect. More than 323,000 imperial gallons of beer burst out and gushed into the streets. The wave of beer destroyed two homes and crumbled the wall of a local brew pub, trapping teenaged employees under the rubble. Nearby tenements where whole families lived in basement rooms quickly filled with beer. Eight people drowned in the flood. One person died from alcohol poisoning the next day.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
