Browsing: Nature

A Brief History On April 23, 2018, Canada suffered its worst vehicular attack when a frustrated 25 year old man rammed a rented van into a group of pedestrians, killing 11 people, of which 9 were women.  The attack occurred in the North York City Centre area of Toronto and injured an additional 15 people. Digging Deeper The perpetrator was arrested despite his efforts to have the police kill him, and an investigation concluded that he was sexually frustrated by being socially rejected by women, what is colloquially referred to as being an “incel,” or involuntary celibate. The unrepentant misogynist…

A Brief History On April 22, 1944, an Allied “sledge patrol” attacked a German Bassgeiger weather station in Greenland, as part of the ongoing and important, although often overlooked, North Atlantic Weather War during World War II. Digging Deeper The battles and weapons of World War II get most of the popular attention, but another highly important part of waging war is accurate weather prediction.  Many operations are dependent on compliant weather, such as air operations including bombing and paratroop drops, naval movements, and even land battles.  Amphibious operations such as the D-Day landings at Normandy in 1944 were dependent…

A Brief History On April 19, 2021, the aptly named Ingenuity became the first man-made aircraft to fly on any planet other than Earth. Digging Deeper A helicopter powered by a solar battery, Ingenuity is able to fly in the thin atmosphere of Mars, only about .6% as dense as on Earth.  Weighing in at about four pounds, Ingenuity has amassed over two hours of airtime in 71 flights by January 19, 2024.  Ingenuity has travelled over 10 miles of surface distance at a max height of 79 feet with a max speed of 22.4 mph. Transported to Mars with…

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…

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…