2015 Event The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency turns polluter by accidentally releasing a million gallons of heavy-metal-laden mining wastewater into Colorado's Animas River while investigating a Superfund site 2014 Event Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, claims that his decision to leak classified NSA documents about mining emails and telephone call logs, has resulted in several significant threats to his life 2013 Event NASA reveals the Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR), a lunar mining robot which could be used to produce fuel and water directly on the Moon 2011 Event In Peru, protests over a mining project persist in four provinces, causing the country to declare a state of emergency 2010 Event Florencio Avalos, the first of 33 miners trapped underground in the 2010 Copiapo mining accident is rescued from the mine 2010 Event A drill reaches 33 Chilean miners who remain trapped underground after the 2010 Copiapo mining accident August 5, 2010 1996 Death Michael Fenton Haddon, mining engineer, dies at 81 1984 Event U.S. Senate condemns CIA mining of Nicaraguan harbors 1961 Birthday Matt Johnson, rocker, The The-Infected Soul Mining 1948 Birthday Jimmy Hood, born in Lesmahagow, Scotland, Member of Parliament for Lanark and Hamilton East, Labor Party, worked as a mining engineer 1915 Birthday Michael Fenton Haddon, mining engineer 1911 Event Belgian Mining law introduces 9 -hour work day 1863 Birthday C-E Auguste Rateau, French mining engineer, Rateau steam turbine 1842 Birthday Clarence King, mining engineer, geologist 1807 Birthday Thomas Green Clemson, mining engineer, endowed Clemson University