September 13

On the 13th in 1987, Roberto dos Santos and Wagner Mota, two homeless squatters in Brazil, were scavenging in an abandoned hospital in Goiania, Brazil, with the hope that they would find something that they might be able to sell. Among the items they chanced upon in the course of the day was a small cylinder that gave off a distinctive blue color. Fortunately, the two men had made the acquaintance of Devair Alves Ferreira, a nearby junk dealer. Prior to the sale to Ferreira do Santos and Mota passed the cylinder to anyone they encountered who said they would like to see it. Several people even tried to taste it. When shown the mysterious cylinder Ferreira was immediately taken by its brilliant blue glow. He was certain that his wife would love a ring made from the metal of the cylinder and he promptly purchased the small item. Unfortunately, for Mr. And Mrs. Ferreira, as well as the staggering number of people who were exposed to this cylinder, the source of the distinctive blue glow was radioactive Cesium-137 and this tiny cylinder went on to cause one of the deadliest releases of radiation in the entire history of the Atomic Age.