David Alexander Johnston (1949–1980) was a volcanologist with the
United States Geological Survey (USGS) who was killed by the 1980
eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington. One of the principal
scientists on the monitoring team, Johnston died while manning an
observation post on the morning of May 18, 1980. He was the first to
report the eruption, transmitting the famous message "Vancouver!
Vancouver! This is it!" before being swept away by the lateral blast
created by the collapse of the mountain's north flank. His work and
that of his fellow USGS scientists had convinced the authorities to
close Mount St. Helens to the general public and to maintain the
closure in spite of heavy pressure to re-open the area; their work
saved thousands of lives. His story has become part of the popular
image of volcanic eruptions and their threat to society, and also part
of the history of volcanology. Following his death, Johnston was
commemorated in several ways, including a memorial fund set up in his
name at the University of Washington, and two volcano observatories
that were named after him. Johnston's life and death have been featured
in several documentaries, films, docudramas and books about the
eruption. Along with other people killed by the volcano, Johnston's
name is inscribed on memorials dedicated to their memory.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_A._Johnston>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1848:
During the aftermath of the March Revolution in the German
Confederation, the Frankfurt Parliament opened in the Paulskirche in
Frankfurt am Main.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_Parliament>
1896:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Plessy v. Ferguson,
upholding the legality of racial segregation in public transportation
under the "Separate but equal" doctrine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plessy_v._Ferguson>
1944:
World War II: Polish forces under Lieutenant General Władysław Anders
captured Monte Cassino, Italy, after a four-month battle.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Monte_Cassino>
1955:
Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000 Vietnamese
civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from
communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the end of the First
Indochina War, ended.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Passage_to_Freedom>
1980:
The stratovolcano Mount St. Helens erupted , killing 57 people in
southern Washington State, reducing hundreds of square miles to
wasteland, and causing over a billion U.S. dollars in damage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
windmill (v):
To rotate with a sweeping motion
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/windmill>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel
half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.
--Omar Khayyám
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Omar_Khayy%C3%A1m>