Launch of Pioneer 11
On April 5, 1973 (some sources cite April 6 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), the Pioneer 11 space probe launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Technology
Launch of Sputnik I
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first man-made object in space, which sparked the start of the Space Race with the United States.
First Man in Space
On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to travel into space.
Final Mission to the Moon
On December 11, 1972, Apollo 17 became the last manned NASA mission to the Moon.
First U.S. Hologram Postal Stationary
On December 3, 1989, the USPS issued its first postal item to be produced with a hologram – a 25¢ stamped envelope picturing a space shuttle docking at a space station.
Founding of UNESCO
On November 16, 1945, the UN created the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
JFK Signs Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
On October 7, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with the Soviet Union and United Kingdom.
Happy Birthday Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon, was born on August 5, 1930, near Wapakoneta, Ohio.
First U.S. Space Shuttle Docking to Mir
On June 29, 1995, the U.S. Space Shuttle Atlantis docked the Russian space station Mir for the first time. The mission, STS-71, was the third in the U.S./Russian Shuttle-Mir program. It began on June 27, 1995, when the Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the 100th U.S. human space launch from Cape Canaveral.