April 28th: National & International Days, Celebrations and Observances

Those workplace safety folks deserve more credit. They're the ones keeping everyone safe, day in and day out.

• Got social media? Share some real-world safety insights with #SafeDay or #WorldOSHDay. And while you're thinking about it, dust off those workplace and school safety plans - most need a fresh look now and then. Your local safety coordinators would probably appreciate a quick thank-you note too.
• Nothing beats fresh blueberries from the farmers' market. Plus, you'll help out local growers who work hard all season. There's also plenty of groups doing good work for injured workers' families - they could use an extra hand.
• At home? Grab a pen and jot down some basic safety checks. It's worth the five minutes. And hey - if you're feeling generous, those first responders down the street might enjoy some homemade blueberry muffins. Trust me, they don't get enough thanks for what they do.

Medical breakthroughs define certain dates in history. On April 28, 1937, the fight against yellow fever took a dramatic turn at Rockefeller Labs. Dr. Max Theiler's vaccine development there would earn him the Nobel Prize for Medicine, and rightfully so - medical professionals have now administered over 850 million doses worldwide.

That same April date saw Thor Heyerdahl challenge conventional wisdom about ancient seafaring. In 1947, he and his five-person crew left Peru aboard Kon-Tiki, a deceptively simple balsa wood raft. Their 4,300-mile Pacific crossing took 101 days, silencing skeptics who doubted early humans could navigate vast oceans.

Abbey Road Studios witnessed its own piece of history in 1973. Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" reached Billboard's top spot that April 28th, beginning an extraordinary chart run. The album, now considered essential listening, stayed on the Top 200 for 937 weeks, moving 45 million copies - numbers that speak for themselves.

The date April 28th links five pioneers in science.

• The Institution of Electrical Engineers broke tradition in the 1800s by accepting Hertha Marks Ayrton - their first woman member. She studied electric arcs, improving lighting systems. Her work on sand patterns later explained how coastlines shift and change.
• Jan Oort's calculations in the 1900s changed what we knew about space. He proved our galaxy spins. His math suggested something invisible but massive pulled on stars - the first signs of dark matter. Beyond that, he spotted ice objects at the solar system's edge. We call this distant band the Oort Cloud.
• Eugene Merle Shoemaker solved an old mystery. His research showed Meteor Crater came from space rock, not a volcano. With his team, he went on to spot the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. After his death, some of his ashes went to the moon - the first human remains placed on lunar soil.
• In Berkeley, 1971, Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse. She picked fresh, local ingredients - a choice that influenced kitchens across America. Her work continues through the Edible Schoolyard Project, where kids learn about growing food.
• Karl Barry Sharpless won his second Nobel Prize in Chemistry - a rare feat. His "click chemistry" methods cut waste in drug production. Labs now make medicines faster and cleaner thanks to his work.