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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

windmill (v): To rotate with a sweeping motion http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/windmill

___________________________ 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