40 years ago, April 26, 1986: #Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion, worst nuclear reactor accident in history. It was caused by an emergency drill gone wrong, an explosion and meltdown. The Soviet Union tried to cover it up until they couldn't 2 days later when radioactivity alarms went off in Sweden. Death toll disputed. The only other major reactor accident since was Fukushima, Japan 2011 due to a tsunami bigger than the plant's tsunami wall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster #TDIH #nuclear #history

100 years ago today, March 16, 1926: Robert Goddard succeeded at the world's first liquid-fuel rocket flight, which lasted 2.5 seconds but proved it was possible. While solid-fuel black-powder rockets had existed for centuries, they weren't reliable enough for more than short-range projectiles or fireworks. Liquid fuel rockets opened the path to spaceflight: first space flight 18 years later in WWII, Apollo 11 Moon landing 43 years later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Goddard#First_liquid-fueled_flight #rocketry #space #history #TDIH

15 years ago, March 11, 2011: M9.0 Tohoku Earthquake and Pacific-crossing #tsunami caused devastation in northern Japan, a country which is probably the best prepared for quakes and tsunamis. Many cities' tsunami barrier walls were overtopped. Even across the Pacific, one person was washed out to sea near Crescent City, California and his body later recovered near Astoria, Oregon which shows how much ocean currents were disrupted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami #earthquake #geology #history #TDIH

17 years ago, January 15, 2009: US Airways Flight 1549 "Miracle on the Hudson" crash, Airbus A320 hit a flock of large birds and lost both engines on departure from NYC LaGuardia Airport. Pilots Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger & Jeff Skiles became heroes for quick thinking realizing they couldn't glide to an airport, ditched in the Hudson River, the only place in range to avoid buildings. All 150 passengers + 5 crew survived. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 #AWE1549 #TDIH #aviation #travel #history #avgeek

57 years ago, December 24, 1968: "Earthrise", Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders got a picture of Earth rising above the Moon. It was the first time anyone had seen our world from the Moon. After making the cover of Time Magazine, it became and icon of 20th Century history. Video from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center "The Story Behind Apollo 8’s Famous Earthrise Photo" recreates astronauts' views to tell the story. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-story-behind-apollo-8s-famous-earthrise-photo/ #NASA #space #TDIH #Earthrise #history #astronomy #spacegeek