A Brief History On August 7, 1978, President Jimmy Carter recognized the toxic waste that had been disposed of negligently into a residential area canal as a federal emergency. Digging Deeper The Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York had been planned in 1890, but only reached a portion of its planned size. The eponymous canal in the neighborhood was used for industrial dumping of various chemical by-products by the Hooker Chemical Company as well as municipal waste products. By the 1950s, people took notice of the health problems experienced by people in the neighborhood, finally drawing the attention…
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A Brief History On August 6, 1991, Tim Berners-Lee, a professor with ties to the University of Oxford and MIT, announced his invention, plans for what he called the “World Wide Web.” The head of a committee that seeks to ever increase the utility and efficacy of the internet, Berners-Lee is the director of the World Wide Web Consortium. Digging Deeper Holding numerous positions in computer, internet, and charitable organizations, and having been associated with the European physics concern, CERN, Berners-Lee has also been the recipient of many awards and recognition for his contribution to modern society, including being knighted…
A Brief History On August 4, 1987, the Federal Communications Commission officially removed any obligation of television and radio media to present controversial issues in an even and “fair” manner when they rescinded the Fairness Doctrine. Digging Deeper Much has been made of the blatant cheerleading by mass media for one side or the other in recent years, making so called news programs more partisan than just information. Calling the media “biased” and “fake news” has become an allegation by all sides of every issue anytime the media does not agree with a point of view. The Fairness Doctrine originated…
A Brief History On August 3, 2023, as with every First Thursday in August, Americans celebrate National IPA Day. If you are not a connoisseur of fine brewed malt beverages, namely beer and ale, you might not be familiar with IPA. Digging Deeper IPA is a product of the 1700s when long voyages to and from India were made by unrefrigerated British sailing ships. In order to have their precious brewski stay fresh, brewers, especially George Hodgson, concocted a brew that was bitter, hoppy, and crisp, that could survive the long voyages in wooden casks. The brew became known as…
A Brief History On August 2, 1870, the Tower Subway opened for passenger traffic in London, England, the first ever underground tube type railway commonly called a “subway” in the US and “the tube” in the UK. Digging Deeper Not to be confused with a fast food store, a subway is a rail train for carrying passengers in underground tunnels. Using coal or wood powered steam engines, or even gasoline or diesel engines to power the train would be problematic underground. The Tower Subway was propelled by a cable system with no onboard propulsive power. Most subways today are electric…