Documents. 1  Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World: guidelines for natural disaster prevention, preparedness and mitigation. 2  Report of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, 18â22 January 2005 in PDF format. 3  Timetable for Kobe conference in PDF format.
Bessie Blount, was a physical therapist who worked with soldiers injured in W.W.II. Her war service inspired her to patent a device, in 1951, that allowed amputees to feed themselves.
Detail of Marie Van Brittan Brownâs original design for a home security system. (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) M arie Van Brittan Brown felt uneasy in her neighborhood and the police were unreliable. So, she took matters in her own hands and patented the modern home security system. Over 50 years later, the technology is installed in millions of homes and offices worldwide. 1  Brown was a 43-year-old African American nurse who worked long, late hours before returning home to Jamaica, Queens in New York City. Her husband, Albert Brown, an electronics technician, was away many nights.