Science on This Day: 1 November | Earthquakes, Nuclear Physics and Mars Exploration
Every day in the calendar offers an opportunity to connect science lessons to real events, discoveries and engineering achievements. Science on This Day for 1 November provides three particularly useful starting points for middle and high school science: the devastating Lisbon earthquake and tsunami of 1755, the first full-scale thermonuclear device test in 1952, and the launch of the Soviet Mars 1 spacecraft in 1962.
These events span Earth science, physics, engineering, space exploration and scientific ethics. They also demonstrate that science is not simply a collection of facts to memorise.
It is a way of investigating the world, developing explanations, solving problems and considering the consequences of human decisions.
For teachers, historical events can provide an accessible starting point for introducing unfamiliar scientific ideas, encouraging students to ask questions and connecting classroom content to the wider world. A short science-history activity can work as a lesson starter, a discussion prompt, a retrieval-practice task or a way to introduce a new topic.
Here is how to explore the science of 1 November with your students, alongside ideas for using other November anniversaries throughout the month.
1 November 1755: The Lisbon Earthquake and Tsunami
On 1 November 1755, a powerful earthquake struck Lisbon, Portugal, on All Saints' Day. The disaster was followed by a tsunami and extensive fires, devastating large parts of the city.
The event became important in the history of earthquake science because it encouraged people to investigate the causes and effects of a major natural disaster systematically.
Today, scientists use instruments such as seismometers to detect and record ground motion. They combine these measurements with geological evidence, observations of damage, historical accounts and computer models to investigate earthquakes and assess hazards. In 1755, however, scientists did not have modern seismic sensors or the global monitoring networks that exist today.
That makes the Lisbon earthquake an excellent historical case study for exploring how scientific knowledge develops. Scientists do not need to possess every modern instrument before they can investigate a natural event. They can collect observations, compare accounts, identify patterns and develop explanations, while recognising the limitations of the evidence available to them.
The earthquake also provides a way to connect several Earth science concepts. Students can investigate how movement in Earth's crust generates seismic waves, how earthquakes beneath or near the ocean can produce tsunamis, and why the consequences of a natural hazard depend on more than the physical event itself. Population density, building design, warning systems and the location of communities all influence the impact of a disaster.
An important distinction for students is the difference between a hazard and a disaster. An earthquake is a natural hazard, but the scale of the disaster depends on the exposure and vulnerability of people and infrastructure. This distinction helps students understand why communities facing similar natural hazards can experience very different consequences.
A practical classroom activity
Ask students to imagine they are investigators studying the Lisbon earthquake in 1755. They have eyewitness accounts, descriptions of damaged buildings and reports of water surging into coastal areas, but no modern seismic instruments. What can they reasonably conclude from this evidence? What remains uncertain? What additional information would help them distinguish between possible explanations?
Give students a few minutes to generate questions in pairs or small groups before asking them to classify those questions into categories such as causes, effects, evidence and risk reduction. This turns a historical event into an exercise in scientific inquiry rather than simply a story about a disaster.
For middle school students, concentrate on seismic waves, tsunami formation and the use of evidence. High school students can go further by discussing uncertainty, the limitations of historical records and the challenges of reconstructing the magnitude and effects of an earthquake that occurred centuries ago.
This is also a natural opportunity to use a Wild Question Inquiry activity. Students begin with an image or scenario and generate as many investigable questions as possible in three to five minutes. The goal is to practise asking useful scientific questions before trying to answer them. You can explore resources and activities through The Teaching Astrophysicist's website.
The original historical account and scientific context are available in the Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.
1 November 1952: The Ivy Mike Thermonuclear Test
On 1 November 1952, the United States conducted the Ivy Mike test at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It was the first full-scale test of a thermonuclear device, and the enormous explosion vaporised the small island of Elugelab.
This event offers a striking connection to nuclear physics, energy transformations and the relationship between scientific research and society. It can also help students understand the distinction between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, two processes that involve changes in atomic nuclei but operate in different ways.
In nuclear fission, a heavy atomic nucleus splits into smaller nuclei, releasing energy. In nuclear fusion, lighter nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, also releasing energy under suitable conditions. The Sun produces most of its energy through fusion processes in its core, while nuclear power stations commonly generate electricity using controlled fission reactions.
Thermonuclear weapons use fusion as part of an extremely destructive process. The Ivy Mike device was an experimental system designed to investigate thermonuclear weapon technology, rather than a practical, deliverable weapon. Its test demonstrated the immense destructive potential of this technology and had consequences far beyond the immediate physical damage.
For students, the scientific lesson is not simply that nuclear reactions release enormous amounts of energy. It is also that understanding a physical process does not automatically determine how that knowledge should be used. Scientific discoveries can have benefits, risks and ethical implications, depending on the applications people develop.
This is an opportunity to discuss how the same broad scientific principles can appear in very different contexts. Nuclear physics helps explain the energy produced by stars, informs medical technologies and underpins nuclear power generation. It has also been used to develop weapons capable of causing catastrophic destruction.
A practical classroom activity
Ask students to compare three applications of nuclear science: energy production, medical applications and nuclear weapons. What scientific principles do they share? What differs in their purpose, risks and consequences?
Students can work in small groups to prepare an evidence-based response, identifying both the scientific facts and the ethical questions involved. Encourage them to distinguish between what physics can explain and what society must decide.
For middle school students, focus on the difference between fission and fusion and the idea that scientific knowledge can have different applications. High school students can examine energy release, the challenges of controlling nuclear reactions and the responsibilities of scientists working on potentially dangerous technologies.
A useful extension is to ask students whether scientists should be responsible for how their discoveries are used. There is no need to force a single answer. The value lies in helping students support their views with evidence, consider alternative perspectives and recognise the complexity of real-world scientific decisions.
The Atomic Archive's history of the hydrogen bomb provides historical context for the Ivy Mike test.
1 November 1962: Mars 1 Begins Its Journey to Mars
On 1 November 1962, the Soviet Union launched Mars 1 towards the Red Planet. The spacecraft was intended to investigate Mars during a close encounter, but communication with the probe was lost before it reached its planned destination. As a result, it could not return the intended close-up data.
Mars 1 provides a valuable case study in space science and engineering because a successful launch does not guarantee a successful mission. A spacecraft must survive launch, operate in a harsh environment, maintain power and temperature control, communicate across vast distances and carry out its scientific objectives with limited opportunities for repair.
On Earth, engineers can often inspect equipment directly, replace components and run repeated tests. A spacecraft travelling millions of kilometres away presents a different challenge. Communication takes time, and once a probe is beyond reach, many faults cannot be repaired physically. Mission designers must anticipate potential problems and build systems that can operate reliably with limited intervention.
The Mars 1 mission also illustrates the importance of distinguishing between a mission's intended objectives and what it actually achieves. Scientists need to know what instruments were designed to measure, which measurements were successfully collected and where gaps remain. A planned observation is not the same as a successful observation.
This is a useful lesson in scientific reasoning. When a mission fails to return its intended data, scientists may still learn something from the engineering experience and the investigation of what went wrong. However, they must not claim that a spacecraft discovered something if the evidence was never obtained.
A practical classroom activity
Challenge students to design a small robotic spacecraft that must travel to Mars and collect scientific data. Give them a limited budget, a set of instruments to choose from and a few essential requirements, such as power supply, communication, temperature management and protection against the space environment.
Ask them to decide which systems are essential, which measurements are most valuable and what they would do if one component failed. They could then explain how their design balances cost, reliability and scientific value.
Middle school students might focus on identifying the basic systems needed to keep a spacecraft functioning. High school students could explore trade-offs in engineering design, redundancy, risk analysis and the difference between a mission's scientific goals and its operational constraints.
The activity also connects naturally to computing and mathematics. Students can create a decision matrix, assign scores to competing designs, calculate simple costs or model how the loss of one system affects the mission's chances of success.
For additional context, the US government's historical record on Mars 1 documents the mission's place in early planetary exploration.
Why use science history in the classroom?
These three events demonstrate why science history can be useful across the curriculum.
The Lisbon earthquake connects geology to evidence and disaster preparedness. Ivy Mike connects nuclear physics to energy and ethics. Mars 1 connects space science to engineering, computing and the challenges of collecting reliable data.
They also provide something that a textbook definition alone may not: a reason to care about the concept being taught. Students can investigate a real problem, examine evidence, consider different explanations and ask what scientists and engineers might do differently today.
Science history works particularly well as a short, repeatable classroom routine. Rather than setting aside a whole lesson for every historical event, teachers can introduce one story in five to ten minutes, ask a question that requires students to apply their knowledge, and return to the event later during a more detailed topic.
For example, the Lisbon earthquake can be revisited when teaching plate tectonics or natural hazards. Ivy Mike can become a reference point during a unit on atomic structure, nuclear reactions or energy. Mars 1 can return during a lesson on forces, electricity, communication systems or planetary exploration.
This repeated use helps students connect ideas across lessons instead of treating every topic as a separate piece of information. It also provides opportunities for retrieval practice, where students recall and apply previously learned knowledge rather than simply rereading notes.
Science history is equally useful for developing scientific literacy. Students can learn to distinguish evidence from speculation, recognise uncertainty, evaluate sources and understand that scientific knowledge develops through investigation. These skills are valuable whether students eventually study science at university or simply need to make informed decisions about the world around them.
Looking ahead: More science history throughout November
The first day of November is only the beginning. The rest of the month provides opportunities to explore biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, Earth science, computing, medicine and engineering.
On 2 November, students can explore George Boole's birthday and the mathematical logic that helped lay the foundations of modern computing. Boolean logic provides a practical bridge between mathematical statements, true-or-false conditions and the digital circuits used in electronic devices.
On 7 November, the birth of Marie Curie provides a starting point for discussing radioactivity and the connections between physics, chemistry and medicine. Students can consider how investigations into unfamiliar phenomena led to new scientific knowledge, while also examining the risks associated with exposure to radiation.
On 8 November, Wilhelm Röntgen's discovery of X-rays offers a way to connect electromagnetic radiation to medical imaging. Students can discuss how doctors can obtain information about structures inside the body without performing surgery, and why different imaging methods are suited to different purposes.
On 10 November, World Science Day for Peace and Development provides an opportunity to consider the wider role of science in society. Students might discuss access to scientific knowledge, international collaboration or the responsibilities involved in communicating research accurately.
Later in the month, 24 November provides two particularly useful teaching connections. Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was published on that date in 1859, offering an entry point into natural selection and the evidence for evolution. The discovery of the fossil known as Lucy in 1974, also associated with 24 November, provides a connection to palaeontology and human evolution.
Finally, 30 November offers a particularly visual physics activity. Ernst Chladni, born on that date in 1756, investigated patterns formed by vibrating plates covered with sand. These patterns, known as Chladni figures, provide a way to make otherwise invisible vibrations visible and introduce students to standing waves, frequency and resonance.
These examples show how a science-history calendar can support many different curriculum areas. Teachers can select events that match the topic they are already teaching, use an anniversary to introduce a new concept, or allow students to choose a story that interests them.
The important point is not to cover every anniversary. It is to choose events that help students make meaningful connections between science, technology, history and the world around them.
Make science history a regular part of your teaching
One of the biggest challenges for teachers is finding activities that are interesting, relevant and easy to fit into an already busy teaching schedule. Science-history anniversaries offer a straightforward solution. A short historical story, an image and one carefully chosen discussion question can create an engaging starting point without requiring an elaborate practical setup.
This is the thinking behind my Science on This Day classroom resources at The Teaching Astrophysicist. Instead of requiring teachers to research a different scientific anniversary every morning, the resources bring together historical events, scientific explanations and discussion opportunities that can be used throughout the month.
My November Science on This Day activity set contains 109 science and STEM history items covering 1–30 November. The collection includes stories from astronomy, physics, biology, chemistry, Earth science, medicine, mathematics, computing and engineering, giving teachers a range of options to suit their classes and curriculum.
The set is available in four formats: an interactive HTML version, a slides version with a classroom discussion question, a spreadsheet version and a straightforward PDF version.
This flexibility means you can choose the format that best suits your teaching environment, whether you want to display an event during a live lesson, browse the calendar while planning, give students a reading activity or use a discussion question as a quick warm-up.
You do not need to cover all 109 items. You can select the stories that match your current unit, choose one for a particular date or keep a few in reserve for lessons when you need a useful starting point. The range of formats also makes it easier to adapt the activity to different classroom routines.
For teachers who would like to explore other classroom materials first, visit The Teaching Astrophysicist's resource store, where you can find science resources covering topics across the curriculum, including free materials.
Bringing it all together
Science on This Day is more than a way to mark historical anniversaries. Used thoughtfully, it can help students see science as an ongoing process of observation, experimentation, problem-solving and debate.
The events of 1 November provide three very different starting points. The Lisbon earthquake demonstrates how scientists investigate natural hazards and learn from historical evidence. The Ivy Mike test opens up questions about nuclear physics and the ethical use of scientific knowledge. The Mars 1 mission illustrates the complexity of engineering and the importance of reliable evidence in space exploration.
Each story can lead to questions that extend beyond the event itself. What evidence supports our explanation? What remains uncertain? How could we investigate further? What are the consequences of applying this knowledge?
These are the kinds of questions that help students develop scientific thinking rather than simply memorising facts. A few minutes spent exploring science history can therefore become a valuable part of a wider lesson, helping students connect the curriculum to real discoveries, real challenges and real human decisions.
Thanks for reading
Cheers and stay curious
Oliver - The Teaching Astrophysicist
