1861
Attack on Fort Sumter
Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, marking the official start of the American Civil War. The bombardment lasted for 34 hours before the Union garrison surrendered.
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All Events
1961
Yuri Gagarin's Space Flight
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into outer space, completing one orbit of the Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft. His flight lasted 108 minutes and ushered in the era of human spaceflight.
1945
Death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage at his retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia, just months into his unprecedented fourth term. Vice President Harry S. Truman succeeded him during the final stages of World War II.
1981
First Space Shuttle Launch
NASA launched the Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-1, the first orbital flight of the Space Shuttle program. This marked the first time a reusable spacecraft was sent into orbit, revolutionizing space travel.
1937
Sir Frank Whittle's Jet Engine Test
British engineer Sir Frank Whittle successfully ground-tested the world's first jet engine designed for aircraft, the Whittle Unit (WU), at a factory in Rugby, England. This pioneering work laid the foundation for modern jet aviation.