November 24

The Great Storm of 1703 blows through England, and 'Origin of the Species' is published.

Sat, Nov 24 2012 at 5:00 AM

Nov. 24, 1703: The Great Storm of 1703 takes aim at southern England and Wales for the next three days, killing between 8,000 and 15,000 people. Hurricane-force winds level entire towns, which author Daniel Defoe said "looked as if the enemy had sackt [sic] them and were most miserably torn to pieces."

Nov. 24, 1859: Based on his studies in the Galapagos Islands, Charles Darwin publishes "Origin of the Species," the pioneering work on the science of evolution.

Nov. 24, 1922: Seven western U.S. states sign the Colorado River Compact, dividing the River’s (at right) water supply between them. Mexico is left out of the equation, and in drier years, the riverbed dries up before reaching the sea in Mexico.

Nov. 24, 2011: In an example of extraordinary chutzpah, lawyers for Tokyo Electric Power argue in court that the radiation their Fukushima nuke plant released is no longer the company’s problem, since it’s now the property of the people it fell on.

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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