Although the month of February is most represented by the love and friendship of Valentine’s Day, or the history of the presidency through President’s Day- it can also be acknowledged for the historical events that helped the developments of science in the present.
Science has always been a part of history, whether it be the scientific advancements from 3000 BCE that marked the Bronze Age, or the development of the internet in the modern world. In the United States, science started being taught as a subject in school during the 1890s, largely due to the discoveries during the Industrial Revolution. Interest in it increased again during the Cold War. In 1955, the scientific rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union was fierce. It intensified into what is now called the “Space Race”, once the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, into space. This event caused Americans to consider the amount of education children were receiving for scientific studies, and led to the release of the The National Defense Education Act of 1958: providing funding for science and foreign language facilities. The National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) was also launched in 1958. These factors caused the US to place extra attention on scientific research, resulting in many scientific developments, some of which occurred during the month of February.
John Glenn: First American to Orbit (Feb. 20th, 1962)
Project Mercury, which was initiated at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia- under the supervision of Robert R. Gilruth. This program had three goals: orbiting a spacecraft, investigating man’s ability to function in space, and recovering the spacecraft and crew member safely. Project Mercury had many successful trials and spaceflights, leading them to their final decision to select Astronaut John Glenn to fly the first orbital mission. On February 20th, 1962- Astronaut John Glenn, was the first American to orbit the Earth aboard the Friendship 7. While Glenn was in orbit, he reported to Mercury Control that he felt fine in zero gravity, and that the spacecraft’s system were working as expected. The first orbit was successful in reaching target ground sites, going smoothly with no imperfections.
During the second orbit, the spacecraft’s landing bag-used to cushion the splashdown impact had deployed, meaning the heat shield required for reentry was not in place anymore. However, those on site were quickly able to come up with a solution, putting on a retro-pack, the straps of it keeping the heat shield in place. No one told Glenn, keeping him clueless, but making sure that the land-bag deploy switch was in the “off” position.
In Glenn’s third orbit, he realized the problem, but reported no unusual sounds, meaning a deployed landing-bag was ready. Once the Friendship 7 started its journey back into the Earth’s atmosphere, a scheduled 4 minute period of no communication due to the amount of ionized gasses, the Friendship 7 successfully splashed down at 2:43 PM, 800 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral.
After Glenn safely landed, he spent two days going through several medical examinations on Grand Turk Island, along with post-flight engineering debriefings. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson went to Patrick Air Force Base to meet with Glenn and his family, to hear about his experiences. Glenn was awarded with the NASA Distinguished Service Medal by President John F. Kennedy during a parade shortly after. On February 26, 1962 John Glenn and his family traveled to Washington, DC., where they attended a reception led by President Kennedy, later attending a dinner in their honor at the State Department.
On February 23, 1963 NASA turned in the Friendship 7, along with John Glenn’s space suit and other artifacts from the mission. Residing in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC., and currently on display at the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia. A full size replica of the Friendship 7 can be seen at the entrance of Jags McCartney International Airport on Grand Turk Island, where officials renamed the main entrance to John Glenn Drive.
James Watson and Francis Crick: Chemical Structure of DNA Discovered (Feb. 29, 1953)
Another February discovery was the double helix structure of DNA. Although DNA was first discovered in 1869 by Freidrich Miesches, it wasn’t until 1943 before scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick, realized that DNA was the genetic material made in cells, containing the code for life. These scientists took the next step to understand the structure and function of the gene, hereditary, and how DNA works to pass traits from one generation to subsequent generations.
In order to determine the structure, they attempted to build a 3D model of the DNA molecule. They worked with a team of scientists at King’s London College, who were using a newer technique called crystallography to study DNA. One scientist from the King’s London College, Rosalind Franklin, created a X-ray diffraction image of DNA, also known as Photograph 51, showing the helix shape of DNA. Once Watson and Crick were shown this photograph, they
discovered their theory was correct. With this new evidence, Watson and Crick determined that there were two strands that coil around each other to form the double helix. The two strands are held together by bonds between base pairs- the four types of bases are Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine. Some may know, that after this groundbreaking discovery, the young scientists walked into The English Pub in Cambridge and announced to those inside, “We have discovered the secret of life”, changing the world of science and medicine forever. In 1962, Crick and Watson were rewarded with The Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for answering the fundamental question of how genetic information is stored in molecular form: in a double helix.
This discovery is the basis for modern understanding of DNA: that four bases of strands are responsible for all the different varieties of life on Earth. Humans, bacteria, and wooly mammoth’s all share the same DNA systems. In fact, humans share 99% of their DNA with chimpanzees and an estimated 50% with bananas!
Breakthroughs in science and technology will continue to move humanity forward, as year after year, students are introduced to S.T.E.M. programs and encouraged to explore the world around them. From the Bronze Age to the Industrial Age, to the Modern Age, civilization has come far. The future awaits, whether it happens in February or June, for those who are forever curious and willing to go the extra mile.
