Space Exploration
Apollo 16 Launches
Apollo 16 launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:54 p.m. on April 16, 1972. It was the 10th crewed Apollo mission and the fifth and second to last to land on the Moon.
Birth of Melvin Calvin
Biochemist Melvin Calvin was born on April 8, 1911, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He earned the 1961 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his discover of the Calvin cycle – the conversion of carbon dioxide into organic molecules during photosynthesis.
Goddard’s First Liquid-Fueled Rocket
On March 16, 1926, Robert H. Goddard launched his first liquid-fueled rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts. Though his work went largely unrecognized during his lifetime, today he’s known as the father modern rocketry.
Mercury-Redstone 2
On January 31, 1961, Mercury-Redstone 2 launched Ham the Chimp into space.
First Man on the Moon Stamp
On September 9, 1969, the US Post Office issued its first ever jumbo-sized commemorative stamp.
First U.S.-Soviet Joint Issue Stamps
On July 15, 1975, the US and Soviet Union each issued stamps honoring the launch of their Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, their first joint space venture.
World Stamp Expo 2000
World Stamp Expo 2000 opened on July 7, 2000. Several US postal firsts were issued during the show, including the first round, pentagonal, and holographic stamps.
First American Woman in Space
On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. She was the third woman overall, after Soviet cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Savitskaya.
Birth of Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473, in Thorn, Poland.