A Brief History On April 12, 1955, the Polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk was declared safe and effective for use in the United States, ending the epidemic that killed or crippled mass numbers of children in the 19th and 20th Centuries. An earlier Polio vaccine in 1950 was not approved in the US, and in 1961, an oral vaccine became available. Digging Deeper Many diseases have been tamed or eliminated by vaccines, and today we ask, which vaccine is the greatest? Here are some contenders: The smallpox vaccine, saving millions of lives, goes back to as long ago…
Browsing: April
Read More
A Brief History On April 11, 1965, the Mid-Western and Southern US experienced a deadly rash of tornadoes infamous as the “Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak.” At least 55 confirmed tornadoes occurred from late April 10th to early April 12th, resulting in 266 deaths, 3,662 injuries, and over $1 billion in damages. Digging Deeper The US is the country that experiences the most tornadoes per year, an average of 1,200 per year, with Texas leading the states. Next on the list is Canada, with just over 100 tornadoes per year. The Great Plains of the US and Canada are conducive to…
A Brief History On April 8, 2024, I, Dr. Zar, along with my miniature dachshund, watched the solar eclipse from within the zone of totality that included my home in Ashland, Ohio. Digging Deeper The last time prior to 2024 that Ohio was within the path of totality for a solar eclipse was back in 1806 when Thomas Jefferson was President of the United States and Napoleon I was Emperor of the French. Ohio is not again expected to be within the path of totality for a solar eclipse until 2099. Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Have you…
A Brief History On April 9, 2017, Dr. David Dao, age 69, found out how bad flying on commercial airlines can be when he was forcibly dragged off of a United Express jet to make room for United employees. Digging Deeper This incident shows our point, that flying commercial can be a horrible experience. Here are some more recent examples: In January 2024, a door panel blew off of a Boeing 737 while in flight, terrifying passengers and sucking property out of the jet. Christmas Eve of 2023 brought no joy to a Delta flight that had a passenger poop…
A Brief History On April 8, 1945, in the waning weeks of World War II, a German train transporting about 4,000 concentration camp inmates, including Ukrainians, Poles, Russians, Dutch, and French nationals, was accidentally bombed by an Allied air raid targeting German military rail traffic. Digging Deeper By April of 1945, Allied air forces ruled the skies over Germany and a favorite target was railroad trains. On the fateful day cited here, the prison train was next to an ammunition train in a rail yard at Celle, in Prussian Hanover. The ammo train was hit, and the explosions killed many…