Posted in Daily Story on Mar 31st, 2012
March 31, 1596: René Descartes, French philosopher & mathematician, was born. Today, he is regarded as “father of modern philosophy”. His application of algebra to geometry defined what is now known as Cartesian geometry. Descartes life work was near completion when news that Galileo was condemned to house arrest reached him. Thus, he decided not [...]
Posted in Daily Story on Mar 30th, 2012
March 30, 1842: Ether was used as anesthetic for first time by Dr. Crawford Long, American physician living in Georgia. While under the influence of nitrous oxide & sulfuric ether, Long’s patient literally felt no pain while two tumors were removed from his neck. Note: Since 1933, this event has been celebrated as Doctors’ Day. [...]
Posted in Events on Mar 30th, 2012
Attendees received one-hour of New York State Professional Engineering License PDH credit. Lecture was on Occupational Safety & Health Act (one of 21 brand new CHMM/CHMP Annual Refresher & Exam Prep Course training modules).
Posted in Daily Story on Mar 29th, 2012
March 29, 1819: “Colonel” Edwin Drake, American entrepreneur & driller, was born. He drilled America’s first commercial oil well in 1859 near Titusville, Pennsylvania. Even though use of petroleum dates back to the first human civilizations, striking oil at depth of 69 feet was a landmark achievement. He is known as the ‘father of the [...]
Posted in Daily Story on Mar 28th, 2012
March 28, 1979: Three Mile Island nuclear reactor pressure valve failed to close, releasing small amount of radiation into the atmosphere near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Cooling water, contaminated with radiation, drained from open valve into adjoining buildings & core began to dangerously overheat. After cooling water began to drain out of broken pressure valve, emergency cooling [...]
Posted in Daily Story on Mar 27th, 2012
March 27, 1964: “Good Friday” earthquake (8.4-magnitude) struck southern Alaska, 125 people died. Thirty blocks of dwellings & commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. Tsunami tidal wave (over 100 feet at several locations) devastated towns along Gulf of Alaska & caused carnage in British Columbia, Hawaii & West Coast of United [...]
Posted in Daily Story on Mar 26th, 2012
March 26, 1997: Heaven’s Gate cult members committed suicide by ingesting lethal mixture of hazardous materials, Phenobarbital & Vodka. In California, 38 cult members committed suicide so that their souls could take a ride on a spaceship that they believed was hiding behind Haley’s Comet. March 26, 2002: Earthquake struck northern Afghanistan where 1,800 people [...]
Posted in Daily Story on Mar 25th, 2012
March 25, 1911: Garment factory in New York City burned down, 145 workers died. Sweatshop was packed with poor immigrant workers, mostly teenaged women who did not speak English. There were four elevators with access to factory floors. But only one was fully operational & it could hold only 12 people at a time. There [...]
Posted in Daily Story on Mar 24th, 2012
March 24, 1989: Supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in southern Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil. Attempts to contain spill was unsuccessful. Wind & currents spread oil more than 100 miles from its source, contaminating 700 miles of coastline. Nearly 250,000 seabirds, 3,000 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles & 22 [...]
Posted in Daily Story on Mar 23rd, 2012
March 23, 1912: Wernher Von Braun, American rocket engineer was born in Germany. He was instrumental in development of rockets for space exploration. Von Braun led development of deadly V–2 ballistic missile for the Nazis (his role remains controversial). After the war, his knowledge was used to produce rockets for U.S. Army. Later at NASA, [...]