Sixty-five years ago

 

By Aurelio Stagnaro

Sixty-five years ago, the International Geophysical Year (IGY) was inaugurated on July 1, 1957 running until Dec. 31, 1958. Sixty-seven countries participated, conducting research in eleven Earth science disciplines. The timing of the 18-month ‘year’ coincided with the peak of solar activity, conducive to observations by several of the research areas. The most significant events during IGY were of course the first artificial earth satellites launched by the USSR (Sputnik 1) and the US (Explorer 1); the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts around earth by Explorer 1; and the defining of mid-ocean submarine ridges, a confirmation of plate-tectonic theory.