September 25, 1974: Frank Rowland & Mario Molina, American physical chemists at University of California Irvine, first reported that Freon gases released from aerosol spray cans were destroying our earth’s protective ozone layer. Their model for Freon breakdown & ozone destruction was based on a similar reaction between nitrous oxide & ozone in the lower atmosphere. Freon’s in the stratosphere first absorb ultraviolet light thus causing chlorine atoms to be liberated. Liberated chlorine atoms in turn attack ozone, breaking it down into oxygen. Bad news is that each chlorine atom can remove thousands of ozone molecules from the stratosphere via a chain reaction. September 25, 2007: Germany began building its first magnetic levitation rail service. Magnetic Levitation Rail works using large number of magnets for lift & propulsion. It has potential to be faster, quieter & smoother than wheeled mass transit systems. September 25, 2004: West Africa, including Chad, Mali, Gambia, Niger & Mauritania, suffered during major Plague of Locusts. Swarms were so high pesticide control was unable to keep up. West Africa has suffered from prolonged droughts in recent years. Locust infestations have resulted in famine on a massive scale. September 25, 2003: Heat wave finally ended in France. Nearly 15,000 (mostly elderly) people died from extreme temperatures (7 days with 104 °F or more recorded). September 25, 1983: Soviet military officer averted potential worldwide nuclear war. He declared a false alarm after a U.S. attack was detected by a Soviet early warning system. It was later discovered alarms had been set off when satellite warning system mistakenly interpreted sunlight reflections off clouds as the presence of enemy missiles. September 25, 1978: Commercial passenger jet collided in mid-air with small Cessna plane in San Diego, California; where 153 people died. Planes nose-dived straight into densely populated neighborhood. Prior to impact, conflict-alert warning system began to flash at the air-traffic control center. However, because alert system went off so frequently with false alarms, it was ignored. September 25, 1960: First American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USNS Enterprise, was launched. September 25, 1946: Seventy five (75) ships were quarantined until tests for radioactive contamination were completed. They were suspected to have high radioactivity due to nuclear atom bomb testing at Bikini Atoll. September 25, 1924: Major landslide in Switzerland crushed 20 homes leaving villagers buried or swept away, 20 people died. September 25, 1923: Wall inside Scotland mine gave way allowing water from abandoned pit to flood into pit where miners were working. Collapse was so quick that working pit flooded almost instantly drowning 70 miners. September 25, 1911: French Battleship, Liberté exploded in Toulon, France; where 100 sailors died. After spontaneous combustion of nitrocellulose gel erupted in a forward magazine, a chain-reaction detonation of the entire ship’s magazines followed. September 25, 1832: William Jenney, American civil engineer & architect, was born. He was one of first to use metal skeleton in large commercial buildings for support, which became standard for American skyscraper design.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:19:33 +0000
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