October 22, 1981: Aspartame artificial sweetener was approved for tabletop use by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In 1965, James Schlatter, American chemist, had discovered that a mixture of two amino acids, aspartic acid & phenylalamine, had a sweet taste. By weight it was about 200 times sweeter than sugar, with very few calories. Today, G.D. Seale markets it as NutraSweet, a low-calorie artificial sweetener without the bitter aftertaste of saccharin. October 22, 1977: Red Dye No. 4 was banned by U.S. Food & Drug Administration after it is discovered that it caused tumors in dog bladders. October 22, 1965: President Lyndon Johnson signed Highway Beautification Act, which attempts to limit billboards & other forms of outdoor advertising, as well as with junkyards & other unsightly roadside messes, along Americas interstate highways. Note: This was actually a pet project of the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson. It declared that even the strips of nature along our countrys roadsides, was fragile & worth preserving. October 22, 1951: The Nature Conservancy was incorporated as a nonprofit organization. Today, the conservancy operates in 30 countries and has protected more than 119 million acres of land & 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide. October 22, 1948: First use of an X-ray machine for internal testing of petroleum pipeline welds was recorded in Clifton, Kansas. This device, now known as a “smart pig”, travels inside the pipe, imaging each weld. Today’s pipeline inspection tools employ magnetic particle, ultrasonic, eddy current, and other innovative methods to verify pipeline & weld integrity. October 22, 1938: Chester Carlson, American inventor, first demonstrated Xerography (photocopying). He used a sulphur coating on a zinc plate, which he vigorously rubbed with a handkerchief to apply an electrostatic charge. A glass slide was prepared using India ink to write 10-22-38 ASTORIA, then laid on the sulphur surface in a darkened room. After illuminating them with a bright incandescent lamp for a few seconds, the slide was removed. When lycopodium powder was sprinkled on the sulphur surface & blown off, there remained a near-perfect image of the writing. Permanent copies were made by transferring powder images to wax paper & heating the sheets to melt the wax. Xerox is a trademark derived from xerography, which means dry writing. October 22, 1913: Coal mine exploded in Dawson, New Mexico; where 263 workers died. It was likely caused by pocket of methane gas ignited by a miner’s lamp. October 22, 1896: Charles King, American biochemist, was born. He discovered vitamin C, which prevents scurvy & malnutrition. Also known as ascorbic acid, (a- = not, without; scorbus = scurvy), vitamin C is a colorless crystalline water-soluble vitamin found in citrus fruits & green vegetables. Most organisms can synthesize it from glucose, but man & other primates and several other species must obtain it from their diet. It is required for the maintenance of healthy connective tissue. Its deficiency leads to scurvy. October 22, 1877: Coal mine exploded in Blantyre, Scotland; where 207 miners died. Fire damp present in the mine was likely ignited by a naked flame. Tragic accident left 92 widows & 250 fatherless children, who were unable to support themselves, were evicted by the mine owners & sent to the Poor House. October 22, 1797: André-Jacques Garnerin, French inventor, made his first parachute jump from a hydrogen-filled balloon 3,200 feet above Paris. He was the first to design & test parachutes capable of slowing a mans fall from a high altitude. Note: Leonardo da Vinci had originally conceived of the possibility of using air resistance to slow an individuals fall from a high altitude.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 13:59:43 +0000
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