December 4, 1952: Heavy fog began to hover over London, England. It persisted for four days, leading to deaths of 4,000+ people. High-pressure air mass stalled over London. When cold air arrived suddenly, air over the city became trapped in place. Problem was exacerbated by low temperatures, which caused residents to burn extra coal in their furnaces. Smoke, soot & sulfur dioxide from areas industries plus car & consumer energy usage caused extraordinarily heavy smog. “Pea Soup” smog became so thick that by December 7th, there was virtually no sunlight. Visibility was reduced to five yards. Tragedy created a new word, smog. December 4, 1957: Earthquake (8.1-magnitude) struck Mongolia, where 30 people died. Note: This was one of the largest earthquakes in 20th Century. Damage was extensive in sparsely populated area. December 4, 1951: Superheated volcanic gasses rolled down Mount Catarman, in the Philippines; where 500 people died. December 4, 1928: First oil well produced from a geological structure identified by a reflection seismograph was drilled in Oklahoma. After successfully evaluating the Viola limestone formation, John Karcher (American geophysicist) was acknowledged as the “Father of Reflection Seismography.” December 4, 1913: One mile of a nine-foot diameter sewer exploded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; where 17 people were seriously injured. Sewer gas explosion tore up streets & alleys, demolished houses & solid brick buildings and broke gas mains. December 4, 1816: Benjamin Silliman, American chemist, whose report on potential uses of crude-oil products gave impetus to plans for drilling first producing oil well, near Titusville, Pennsylvania. Silliman separated crude oil into its component parts (fractions) & observed characteristics of each fraction. He determined via a photometer that distilled petroleum burned much brighter than all but the most expensive fuels. He also noted its potential use as a lubricant. Silliman concluded petroleum was a raw material from which...they may manufacture a very valuable product. His report marked petroleum as the answer to the illumination fuel crisis. environment.about/od/smogfaq/f/smog_faq_five.htm
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 21:58:12 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015