Posted in Daily Story on May 31st, 2012
May 31, 1889: Dam collapsed causing flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania where 2,209 people died. It was largest earth dam (made of dirt & rock, rather than steel & concrete) in U.S. It created largest man-made lake of the time. When neglected dam collapsed, it caused a roar that could be heard for miles. All of [...]
Posted in Daily Story on May 30th, 2012
May 30, 1911: Inaugural Indianapolis 500 was run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana. Average winning race speed was 75 mph. Race is now largest sporting event in the world, attended by 270,000 spectators annually. Numerous automotive & hazardous materials management advances have resulted as byproduct of this competitive sporting event. May 30, 1998: Earthquake [...]
Posted in Daily Story on May 29th, 2012
May 29, 1953: Edmund Hillary of New Zealand & Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became first explorers to reach summit of Mount Everest. Nearly two hundred climbers have died attempting to summit the mountain, which is highest point on earth. Low oxygen levels, freezing cold, & blizzard conditions make the climb extremely hazardous. May 29, 1951: [...]
Posted in Daily Story on May 28th, 2012
May 28, 1892: Sierra Club was organized in San Francisco. It was incorporated “to explore, enjoy, and render accessible the mountain regions of the Pacific Coast; to publish authentic information concerning them” & “to enlist the support and cooperation of the people and government in preserving the forests and other natural features of the Sierra [...]
Posted in Daily Story on May 27th, 2012
May 27, 1907: Rachel Carson, American biologist, was born. She is best known for her writings on environmental pollution & natural history of the sea. Embedded within all of Carson’s writing was view that human beings were but one part of nature distinguished primarily by their power to alter it, in some cases irreversibly. Disturbed [...]
Posted in Daily Story on May 26th, 2012
May 26, 1951: Sally Ride, American astronaut, was born. She was first American woman to orbit earth when she flew aboard Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983. Dr. Ride (PhD in physics) was member of team that investigated 1986 Challenger explosion. May 26, 2006: Earthquake (6.3-magnitude) struck Indonesia where 5,749 people died & 600,000+ were displaced. [...]
Posted in Daily Story on May 25th, 2012
May 25, 1961: President Kennedy announced to Congress his goal of sending an American to the moon by the end of the decade. He made the task a national priority & a mission in which all Americans would share, stating that “it will not be one man going to the moon, it will be an [...]
Posted in Daily Story on May 24th, 2012
May 24, 1883: Brooklyn Bridge opened after 13 years & 27 deaths while being constructed. Airtight underwater chambers called caissons were used to construct the foundations. Many of the laborers who worked in these dangerous conditions succumbed to what was then called caisson disease. With its unprecedented length & two stately towers, it was major [...]
Posted in Daily Story on May 23rd, 2012
May 23, 1994: Explanation for “deadly flesh-eating bug” outbreak in England was offered by British doctors. Deadly disease was attributed to cluster of unusually intense infections by common Steptococcus bacterium. Patients had been injured by a toxin that dissolved flesh & fat which came from the excessive bacteria’s attack. Normally, Steptococcus is associated with simple [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on May 22nd, 2012
May 22, 1859: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Scottish Physician & Novelist was born. He was a doctor without very many patients. While waiting for patients, he was so bored that he started writing short stories. His fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, emulates the research scientist, diligently searching through data & to make sense of it. “It [...]