This Day In History

On July 26, 1971, Apollo 15 was launched, bringing the fourth American crew to the Moon’s surface.  Apollo 15 would become the first of three extended missions to the moon, known as K missions.  The mission was more focused on science than previous landings had been.  It also marked the first use of the lunar rover.

Henry Knox was born on July 25, 1750, in Boston, Massachusetts.  He was George Washington’s right-hand man during the American Revolution and participated in most of the war’s major battles.

Military and political leader Simón Bolívar was born on July 24, 1783, in Caracas, New Granada (present-day Venezuela).  He led a campaign that freed Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia from Spanish rule, earning him the nickname El Libertador (The Liberator).  His birthday is also a national holiday in Venezuela. 

On July 23, 1999, NASA launched the Chandra X-Ray Observatory to observe x-rays from outside the Earth’s radiation field. The mission was originally intended to last just five years, but Chandra is still orbiting the Earth and making discoveries today, more than 20 years after launch.

The forerunner of the US Army Reserve was established on April 23, 1908. It was the nation’s first federal reserve – providing fully-trained and prepared troops in times of need. Today, there are over 815,000 reservists across all the military branches.

On November 27, 1950, the Korean War Battle of Chosin Reservoir began – a fighting withdrawal in the bitter cold.

On October 26, 1940, the P-51 Mustang completed its first flight.

US Navy Admiral Arleigh Burke was born on October 19, 1901, in Boulder, Colorado.

On July 27, 1909, Orville Wright flew a plane a record one hour and 12 minutes.

On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, bringing about the end of fighting in the Korean War.

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The Korean War Veterans Memorial was officially dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.