June 10

James Cook strikes the Great Barrier Reef, and famed biologist E.O. Wilson is born.

Sun, Jun 10 2012 at 6:00 AM

June 10, 1770: Captain James Cook, whose explorations exposed Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand to the West, runs his ship aground on the Great Barrier Reef.

June 10, 1929: E.O. Wilson is born in Birmingham, Ala. Fascinated at an early age by the sea life in Mobile Bay, and by the spread of fire ants that hitched a ride to Mobile aboard cargo ships, Wilson becomes one of the world’s foremost biologists, twice winning the Pulitzer Prize for his books.

June 10, 1947: California Gov. Earl Warren (at right) signs the state's Air Pollution Control Act, the first state law acknowledging problems from auto exhaust.

June 10, 2011: The Missouri River breaks a century-old record as it inundates towns, oil wells, and farmland in North Dakota. The flooding would threaten larger cities like Omaha and Kansas City in the coming weeks.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

This feature is compiled by Peter Dykstra, an MNN contributor and publisher of Environmental Health News and The Daily Climate.

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

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