The Eastern calendar endows the Year of the Horse with symbolism of speed and determination, emphasizing the importance of fateful changes. If we look at historical events, we can notice that every 12 years humanity experienced a powerful push, when scientists made bold decisions, engineers overcame obstacles, and doctors and researchers expanded the boundaries of the possible.
"Podrobno.uz" has prepared a selection of seven landmark events that occurred in the Years of the Horse, which forever changed the face of our lives.
SOS Signal: A Unified Cry for Help (1906)
At the beginning of the 20th century, the ocean was not only dangerous but also deaf. Although radio signals already existed, each country used its own distress codes. The British transmitted CQD, the Italians - SSS, and the Germans - SOE. In stormy conditions and interference, these signals were often lost.
Maritime historians claim that up to half of the distress signals at that time either did not reach their destination or were ignored. Change occurred in 1906 at the International Radiotelegraphic Conference in Berlin, where delegates from 29 countries agreed that the seas should not be divided by language barriers.
Thus, the SOS signal was introduced. Despite the myth that it means "Save Our Souls," the choice was actually based on engineering properties: three dots, three dashes, and again three dots formed a unique rhythm in Morse code, easily recognizable and resistant to interference.
With the introduction of SOS, maritime safety reached a new level, becoming the foundation for international rescue standards - from aviation to digital technologies.
Discovery of Pluto: A Planet for the Persistent (1930)
On February 18, 1930, a significant event occurred: the discovery of Pluto, which was the result of persistent work. Clyde Tombaugh, who grew up in Kansas, built his first telescope from improvised materials, and his drawings of planets caught the attention of the Lowell Observatory in Arizona.
There, he was tasked with finding the mysterious Planet X, whose existence was hypothesized due to anomalies in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. After long nights and thousands of photographs of the sky, he finally discovered Pluto. Although this planet turned out to be small and distant, its discovery became a symbol of human perseverance.
The name for Pluto was suggested by an 11-year-old girl from Oxford, Venetia Burney, who chose the name in honor of the god of the underworld. Even after Pluto was "downgraded" to a dwarf planet in the following decades, its discovery proved that one person can change our understanding of the Universe.
The First Nuclear Power Plant: The Atom that Lit the World (1954)
On June 26, 1954, the world's first nuclear power plant was launched in Obninsk, changing the perception of nuclear energy. Previously, the atom was associated with destruction, and the world was still under the impression of the tragedies related to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
However, a group of Soviet scientists led by Igor Kurchatov decided to demonstrate that the atom could serve for good. The project was named AM-1 - "Peaceful Atom." The plant was experimental, and engineers faced many technical challenges.
On the day of the launch, when superheated steam first filled the turbine, there was silence in the control room. The turbine started, and the first five megawatts flowed into the power grid. This plant operated for 47 years, becoming a model for many similar facilities around the world and opening a new era in energy.
Luna-9: Solid Ground for Humanity (1966)
In the mid-60s, scientists continued to debate whether a spacecraft could land on the Moon's surface. The year 1966 became pivotal when the Soviet automatic station "Luna-9" successfully landed on the lunar surface, providing the first panoramic images.
These images showed that the Moon has a solid, rocky surface, laying the foundation for future manned missions and significantly changing the lunar program.
Louise Brown: A Revolution in Medicine (1978)
On July 25, 1978, Louise Brown was born in the UK, the first child conceived through in vitro fertilization. This event was the culmination of 12 years of work by doctors Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe, who faced harsh criticism for their experiments.
Despite public condemnation, their persistence led to a breakthrough in reproductive medicine, opening doors for many families who dreamed of children. Today, IVF has become a routine procedure, and the contributions of these scientists are recognized as foundational for the development of medicine.
WWW: The Internet Revolution (1990)
In 1990, at CERN, British physicist Tim Berners-Lee created a system that forever changed the world - the World Wide Web. He developed HTML and the first browser, but most importantly, he decided to make his system open and accessible to everyone.
Soon, the internet became part of everyday life, and by the late 1990s, it was no longer seen as a novelty but had become a means of communication, education, and commerce.
Rosetta: The Comet and Its Exploration (2014)
In November 2014, the Rosetta mission first placed a spacecraft in orbit around a comet and sent the Philae module to its surface. This project was the result of long research, as Philae, despite difficulties, managed to land on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
The module transmitted important data back to Earth, including the discovery of organic molecules, expanding our understanding of the chemical composition of ancient bodies in the Solar System.
Instead of an Epilogue
The Years of the Horse in history symbolize not just luck but also risk, speed, and determination to move forward, even when there are no guarantees of success. Each of these leaps was a bold step into the unknown, shaping the process of humanity's progress.
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