Important Events From This day in History – 11th October

Today in History

• 2000 – 100th Mission of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program

  Also known as the Space Transportation System or STS, the program was the first in the world to employ reusable spacecraft to take people into outer space. The first flight of the space shuttle fleet, which included Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour took place on April 12, 1981. The 100th flight was on the space shuttle Discovery, and the mission was designated STS-92. It was the 30th time Discovery had flown into space.

• 1984 – First American Woman to walk in Space

  Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan undertook a 3.5-hour long spacewalk with fellow astronaut David Leestma while on the Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41-G. The spacewalk was performed to demonstrate the possibility of refuelling a satellite. STS-41-G was the first flight mission to carry two women astronauts – Sullivan and Sally Ride.

• 1975 – The First Episode of Saturday Night Live Airs

  A popular sketch comedy show, SNL, as it is popularly known, was initially called NBC’s Saturday Night, and it was created and produced by Lorne Michaels. The show’s original cast members, which usually opens with the slogan “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” included Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and Chevy Chase.

• 1911 – Wuchang Uprising

  The Wuchang Uprising occurred in Wuchang, China, leading to the fall of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. This day is celebrated as an important holiday in Taiwan.

• 1899 – Second Boer War Begins

  The almost 3-year long conflict was fought between British and Irish troops and the Boers from the Transvaal and Orange Free State. The war began due to disagreements between the two sides over the region’s ownership of gold and diamond mines. The British annexed the two countries at the war’s end in May 1902. The word Boer is the Afrikaans word for the farmer, and it was used then to refer to Afrikaans-speaking settlers in the region.