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.
September 4, 2006
Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, Australian environmentalist and TV personality, died when a stingray’s poisonous barb pierced his chest while snorkeling at Great Barrier Reef in north Queensland. He was in the area filming his documentary, Ocean’s Deadliest. Irwin was best known for dealing with dangerous animals while educating viewers on these animals.
September 4, 1960
Hurricane Donna (Category 5) achieved maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. Donna was the only hurricane to affect every state along the East Coast with hurricane-force winds, killing 148 people in the U.S. and Caribbean.
September 4, 1888
George Eastman, American inventor, patented the first roll-film camera and registered the brand name Kodak. His company soon began to mass produce his inventions, transforming photography from an expensive hobby of the few to an inexpensive, popular pastime.
September 4, 1850
Chicago Gas Light and Coke Company delivered its first manufactured gas to customers. Gas from manufactured gas plants was very beneficial at that time. However, coal tar residuals left at MGP sites is a major hazardous material legacy.
September 4, 1825
New York Governor Clinton ceremoniously emptied a barrel of Lake Erie water into Atlantic Ocean in New York City harbor to consummate the “Marriage of the Waters” of the Great Lakes and the Atlantic. The Erie Canal quickly developed into a major transportation corridor. It initiated a canal building boom for the transport of hazardous and non-hazardous materials.
September 4, 1805
William Dodge, American industrialist, was born. He co-founded Phelps-Dodge, which developed Lake Superior copper and Pennsylvania iron mines.
September 4, 1618
A snowslide (known as the Rodi avalanche) destroyed Plurs, Switzerland, where 2,427 people were buried alive. There were no survivors.
September 4, 1596
One of the first tsunamis ever recorded struck Japanese islands, where 1,000 people died. An earthquake caused a landslide that generated a 50-foot wave resulting in the disappearance of 1,000 acres of land.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
