At around 3 o'clock in the morning, residents were rattled out of bed by the loud thumps of anti-aircraft guns lobbing 12-pound shells into the sky.
All in Space
The Lost Cosmonaut
As a pilot in the Soviet Air Force, he was one of the original cosmonauts selected for the Russian space program.
Landing on an Asteroid
The spacecraft performed a slingshot maneuver around the Earth that propelled it toward its rendezvous with a peanut-shaped rock.
First Golf Shot on the Moon
After a couple of slices, Shepard connected on a shot that according to him flew for "miles and miles and miles."
Space Chimp
On this day a chimpanzee named Ham became the first hominid in space.
Hit by a Meteorite
Ann Elizabeth Hodges was taking a nap on this day when she was rudely awakened by a meteorite crashing through her roof.
Creatures on the Moon
In 1835 the New York Sun published the first of six articles detailing the amazing discovery of life on the moon.
Isolated
In 1971, Al Worden became the "most isolated human being" as he orbited the moon 2,235 miles from his Apollo 15 crew members.
Cosmic Blast
An extremely large solar flare (as if there's ever a small one).
Skylab is Falling
In 1979, America's first space station, the 100-ton Skylab, came crashing back to Earth.
The Lost Comet
It’s noted for being the comet that came closest to the earth.
Heaven's Gate
This was the day that police found the bodies of 39 members of a religious cult based in San Diego County.
Galileo's Middle Finger
The Italian astronomer Galileo died hundreds of years ago, but he's been giving us his middle finger ever since.
The Blue Marble
The photograph is one of only a few that shows the planet fully illuminated.