In an address to Congress on “Urgent National Needs” on May 25, 1961, John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States called for America to send astronauts to the moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade.
Author Archives: M. Özgür Nevres
Are today’s monkeys evolving into humans? No, here’s why
A frequently asked question: are today’s monkeys evolving into humans? The answer is no, and here’s why.
Earth passed through the tail of Halley’s Comet on May 19, 1910
On May 19, 1910, the Earth passed through the tail of Halley’s Comet. Prior to the date, using spectroscopy, astronomers detected cyanogen, a very deadly poison in the comet’s tail. This caused panic. French astronomer Camille Flammarion (26 February 1842 – 3 June 1925) even claimed that life on Earth would end because of this.
Apollo 10 was launched on May 18, 1969
Apollo 10, the fourth crewed mission in the Apollo program (NASA’s project to land humans on the moon), and the second (after Apollo 8) to orbit the Moon was launched on On May 18, 1969.
World Wide Web was launched on May 17, 1991
On May 17, 1991, the English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee set up the first web server in history. This event marks the public release of the World Wide Web. Tim Berners-Lee is known as the inventor of the World Wide Web.
Space Shuttle Endeavour completed its maiden voyage on May 16, 1992
On May 16, 1992, Space Shuttle Endeavour completed its maiden voyage and landed safely on runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base in the California desert. It was the first use of a drag-chute for a Space Shuttle landing.
Now we can see the Sagittarius A*: here is the first photo of the Supermassive Black Hole at the center of the Milky Way
On May 12, 2022, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an international collaboration capturing images of black holes, announced the first-ever image of the Sagittarius A*, the Supermassive Black Hole at the center of the Milky Way. After the image of the nearby elliptical galaxy Messier 87’s (M87’s) supermassive black hole, also revealed by the EHT …
Z3, the world’s first fully functional and programmable computer was unveiled on May 12, 1941
On May 12, 1941 Z3, the world’s first fully functional and programmable digital computer was unveiled by its designer, the German pioneering computer scientist Konrad Zuse (22 June 1910 – 18 December 1995). Zuse began to develop Z3 in 1935 and completed it in 1941. But, because of World War II, it was not considered …
The first U.S. human spaceflight was performed on May 5, 1961
On May 5, 1961, American astronaut Alan Shepard (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) performed the first United States human spaceflight. It was also the first human-piloted spaceflight in the history of space exploration. Yuri Gagarin, the first human to fly into space on April 12, 1961, wasn’t controlling the Vostok 1 spacecraft, it …
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Electrolysis of water was discovered on May 2, 1800
On May 2, 1800, English chemist William Nicholson (13 December 1753 – 21 May 1815), decomposed water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. This was the first electrolysis of water. The name “electrolysis” was given to this process in 1834 by another English scientist Michael Faraday (22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867). Nicholson had …
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