The Year of the Horse has long been associated with speed, energy, and bold decisions. This symbol of movement – sometimes risky and unexpected – reflects historical moments when humanity received a significant boost. Looking back, one can notice that every 12 years, events occurred that radically changed the face of science, engineering, and medicine.
The publication "Podrobno.uz" presented seven key moments that occurred in the Years of the Horse, which became major milestones in the development of humanity.
The emergence of SOS: the universal distress signal (1906)
At the beginning of the 20th century, the ocean was not only dangerous but also quite deaf. Although radio communication already existed, it left much to be desired: each country used its own distress signals. The British transmitted CQD, the Italians – SSS, and the Germans – SOE. In stormy conditions and interference, many such signals were lost.
Maritime historians claim that up to half of distress signals did not reach their recipients or were received too late. Sometimes radio operators simply ignored "foreign" codes, considering them unofficial.
A turning point came in 1906 at the International Radiotelegraphic Conference in Berlin, where representatives from 29 countries concluded that the sea should not be divided by national borders and languages. A single, understandable distress signal was needed.
Thus, SOS was born. Contrary to popular myth, it does not mean "Save Our Souls" or "Save Our Ship." The signal was chosen for its unique rhythm in Morse code, making it easily recognizable and resistant to interference.
After the adoption of SOS, the level of maritime safety significantly increased. This laid the foundation for the formation of global rescue standards, which subsequently influenced international protocols in aviation and digital communication.
The discovery of Pluto: a planet for the persistent (1930)
On February 18, 1930, an important event occurred: Pluto was discovered, expanding the boundaries of the Solar System. However, the path to this discovery was far from ideal.
Clyde Tombaugh, who grew up in Kansas, dreamed of becoming an astronomer despite the lack of money for education. He built his first telescope from old parts and drew planets with remarkable accuracy, attracting the attention of scientists at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona.
There, he was assigned the challenging task of finding the mysterious Planet X, whose existence was hypothesized due to anomalies in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. Clyde spent sleepless nights comparing photographs of the night sky, and ultimately he managed to discover Pluto.
Although the planet turned out to be cold and distant, the discovery was a triumph of human perseverance. The name for the planet was suggested by an 11-year-old schoolgirl, Venetia Burney, who chose the name of the god of the underworld. Even when Pluto was later "downgraded" to a dwarf planet, its discovery remained an important step in astronomy.
The first nuclear power plant: the atom illuminating the world (1954)
On June 26, 1954, an event occurred in Obninsk, near Moscow, that changed the perception of nuclear energy.
After the tragedies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the atom was viewed as a destructive force, but a group of Soviet scientists led by Igor Tamm proved that it could be used for peaceful purposes.
The project, named AM-1 ("Peaceful Atom"), became experimental. Due to the lack of experience in operating such facilities, engineers had to manually adjust the systems.
When superheated steam first reached the turbine on the day of the launch, Tamm uttered the famous phrase: "With a light steam!" From that moment, the era of the peaceful atom began. The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant operated for 47 years, becoming a model for many other stations.
"Luna-9": a solid foundation for future research (1966)
In the mid-1960s, scientists were unsure if the Moon could withstand the landing of a spacecraft. There were concerns that the surface might be too loose.
In 1966, the Soviet automatic station "Luna-9" put an end to these doubts. Equipped with shock absorbers, it successfully landed and transmitted the first panoramic images of the lunar landscape back to Earth, confirming that the surface was solid. This data became the basis for subsequent manned missions.
Louise Brown: the child who changed medicine (1978)
On July 25, 1978, Louise Brown was born in the UK – the first child conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF). This breakthrough was the result of years of efforts by scientists who faced criticism and skepticism.
Dr. Robert Edwards and gynecologist Patrick Steptoe ignored the condemnation and continued their experiments, documenting every step. Louise was the 283rd attempt, and her birth opened doors for millions of families who had previously been unable to have children.
Today, IVF has become a common practice, and the contributions of Edwards and Steptoe are recognized as significant for medicine.
WWW (1990)
In 1990, at CERN, British physicist Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web, which became the foundation for the future internet. He developed HTML and the first browser, spending countless sleepless nights writing code.
But his decision to make the WWW open and accessible to everyone forever changed the internet. Soon, the first websites began to appear, and the graphical browser Mosaic made the internet accessible to a wider audience.
By the late 1990s, the internet had become an integral part of many people's lives, opening new opportunities for communication, education, and business. The Year of the Horse gifted humanity a global network that connects countries and cultures.
Rosetta: the first landing on a comet (2014)
In November 2014, the Rosetta mission made history by placing an artificial device into orbit around a comet and sending the Philae lander to its surface. Rosetta launched in 2004, traveling over 6 billion kilometers to reach comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Despite the challenges associated with low gravity, Philae managed to land and operated for about 60 hours, transmitting important data back to Earth, including organic molecules that could help in understanding the origins of life on Earth.
These discoveries expanded our understanding of the chemical composition of ancient bodies in the Solar System and continue to be studied.
Instead of an epilogue
The Years of the Horse are not just a period of luck, but a time of risk, striving, and determination. Each of these leaps became a step into the unknown, shaping the movement of humanity forward.
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