50 Years ago

In previous communications, the existence of a third normal, embryonic haemoglobin was reported to be present in the blood of foetuses up to five months of intra-uterine life ... By using the column chromatographic procedure described by Huisman and Prins, with some minor modifications, we were able to separate the three distinct fractions from the haemolysate of a four month old embryo ... Thus, we were able to separate not only the two haemoglobin fractions known to be present in the cord blood of full-term new-borns, but also the third, embryonic, fraction (the lowest in the chromatographic column) in the blood of small embryos ... [W]e were, for the first time, able to discover the embryonic haemoglobin fraction in the blood of two full-term new-borns who were severely malformed, whereas twenty other normal new-borns who served as controls did not show this fraction in their blood.

From Nature 31 January 1959.

100 Years ago

A striking instance of the assistance which can be rendered by wireless telegraphy in overcoming the difficulties and dangers of navigation was afforded in the case of the collision of the steamship Florida with the White Star liner Republic in the early morning of January 23. The collision occurred in a dense fog at 5.30 a.m., 175 miles east of the Ambrose lightship, New York. The Republic is equipped with a wireless telegraphy installation, and the captain, who was on the bridge at the time of the accident, at once had wireless messages for help sent out ... The messages were received by the liners Baltic, the Lorraine, and the Lucania ... The steamships proceeding to the rescue were able to transmit a wireless message to the Republic asking for the latitude and longitude of the collision ... Wireless telegraphy has thus been the means of averting a terrible calamity.

From Nature 28 January 1909.