Laika

1973 – NASA launches Mariner 10, a robotic space probe intended to fly past Venus and Mercury, reaching both planets the following February and March respectively. After a year and a half of service and over 2,000 photos sent back to Earth, its nitrogen supply dwindled and its transponder was shut off. It still orbits the sun today.

1957 – The Ruskies launch Sputnik 2, an orbiter that delivered the first animal into a space; a female terrier named Laika. The 3-year-old dog was sent to determine if a living creature could withstand launch and weightlessness, but she ultimately died a few hours after launch due to overheating due to a thermal control issue. Regardless, she proved that oxygen-craving creatures could enter space, and Laika was considered a hero.

1926 – Charles Lindbergh jumps from his disabled airplane during an airmail flight, making this his fourth time he had to use his parachute to save his life.

1897 – The first all-metal rigid airship was tested in Germany. Using wafer-thin aluminum, a major innovation, it crashes soon after taking off, proving to not be microwave safe.

Over and out.

1987 – In non-aviation news, during filming of the talk show “Geraldo”, a brawl between white supremacists and the Congress of Racial Equality erupted, resulting in host Geraldo Rivera receiving a broken nose…something both sides were finally able to agree on.