Learn about the history of science by reading about the significant scientific events that took place on this day in history.
1975 - India launches their first satellite.
NASA
India successfully launched their Aryabhatta satellite using a Soviet Intercosmos rocket into orbit. The satellite would test their tracking systems and conduct x-ray and solar astronomy experiments.
1975 - Percy Lavon Julian died.
Julian was an American chemist who was a pioneer in pharmacological chemical synthesis. He held over 130 chemical patents including the industrial scale synthesis of progesterone, testosterone, stigmasterol and sitosterol. He was the first to synthesize the anti-glaucoma drug physostigmine.He was the first African American to receive a doctoral degree in chemistry and the first chemist to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.
1971 - First space station launched.
The Soviet space agency launched the Salyut 1 space station into orbit. It was the first space station to be able to house astronauts to perform experiments in space. The Orion 1 Ultraviolet Observatory was installed on-board and became the first observatory in space.1912 - Glenn T. Seaborg was born.
Department of Energy
Seaborg was an American chemist who was awarded the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Edwin McMillan for the discovery of many transuranium elements. He proposed the actinides group arrangement for the periodic table and the element seaborgium is named in his honor.
1906 - Pierre Curie died.
Creative Commons
1882 - Charles Darwin died.
Henry Maull and John Fox/Wikipedia Commons
Darwin is best known for his two works "On the Orign of Species" and "Decent of Man" outlining his theories of evolution and his voyages to the Galapagos Islands aboard the H.M.S. Beagle.
