This Day in History on Health/Medicine

November 13, 1901: Sometimes the Rescuers Become Victims (Caister Lifeboat disaster)

By Major Dan on November 13, 2018 Animals/Pets, Crime, Health/Medicine, Military, November 13

A Brief History On November 13, 1901, a British lifeboat crew answered the distress flares of a small ship in peril off the coast of Norfolk, England, only to suffer terrible hardships in attempting to launch their lifeboat from shore to go to the sailors in peril. So hazardous were the conditions, that the lifeboat ended up being turned over on top of the crewmen, causing 9 of the heroic rescuers to drown. Cases in which rescuers end up being killed or severely injured themselves are not at all rare, and today we will discuss a few such cases. Digging…

October 16, 1916: Who Invented Birth Control?

By Major Dan on October 16, 2018 Health/Medicine, Inventions, Nature, October 16, Politics, Religion

A Brief History On October 16, 1916, Margaret Sanger (nee Higgins), nurse, writer, and sexual educator opened the first family planning (birth control) clinic in the United States. While Sanger did not invent the idea of birth control or the methods, she was an activist for preventing unwanted pregnancy and was the first person to coin the phrase, “birth control.” Humans, unlike any other known animal, have been trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies for thousands of years and have tried a variety of methods. Digging Deeper Probably the most simple methods of birth control came after it was realized that…

October 14, 1982: War on Drugs Declared, 36 Years Later No Progress?

By Major Dan on October 14, 2018 Crime, Health/Medicine, October 14, Politics

A Brief History On October 14, 1982, President Ronald Reagan declared a “War on Drugs,” meaning of course a war against illegal drugs. His wife, First Lady Nancy Reagan coined the phrase, “Just Say No” in an effort to inspire the youth of America to resist the urge to use drugs illegally. Neither the government law enforcement campaign nor the simplistic exhortation by the First Lady had much of an effect on illegal drug availability or use back then and no discernible effect on curbing illegal drug use since. Digging Deeper The 1980’s was a time when cocaine became the…

Toxic Workers and Toxic Workplaces

By Major Dan on October 8, 2018 August 22, Health/Medicine, Society

A Brief History On August 22, 2017, CNN reported on two recent studies that showed how a “bad work environment could be bad for your health.” Although common sense should tell anyone that it is uncomfortable and unhealthy to work anywhere where you have to put up with obnoxious, petty, bickering, and back stabbing employees, scientific studies are making that observation an academic fact. Does your boss pick on you? Are you constantly being threatened with being fired, demoted, or disciplined? Are you sexually harassed? Does there seem to be an atmosphere/culture of bias against your race/creed/national origin/gender/lifestyle? Are your co-workers unfriendly? …

September 17, 1683: Who Invented the Microscope?

By Major Dan on September 17, 2018 Health/Medicine, Inventions, Nature, September 17

A Brief History On September 17, 1683, Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek presented a paper to the Royal Society (The President, Council and Fellows of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge) containing a description of the first scientific recognition of microbes/protozoa, a living thing he referred to as “animalcules” (single celled organisms). Although van Leeuwenhoek had designed his microscope himself and is known as “The Father of Microbiology,” he was definitely not the inventor of the microscope. In fact, exactly who is the inventor of this highly important contribution to science is not agreed upon by historians.…

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