Important Events From This day in History – 7th October

Today in History

• 2001 – War in Afghanistan begins

  American and British troops began air strikes against Al Qaeda, and Taliban targets after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and other Al Qaeda operatives, to the United States. Nicknamed Operation Enduring Freedom, the military strikes were part of the so-called Global War on Terror.

• 1996 – Fox News broadcasts for the first time

  The 24-hour news channel with the slogan Fair and Balanced was created by Australian-American businessman and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. Today, it is one of the most-watched news channels in the United States.

• 1959 – People on Earth Get the First Glimpse of the Dark Side of the Moon

  Soviet spacecraft Luna 3 took pictures of the far side of the Moon. The images sent by the probe covered about 70% of the far side of Earth’s natural satellite and they were instrumental in helping astronomers make the first atlas of the dark side of the Moon. The far or dark side of the Moon is the side of the Moon that cannot be seen from Earth because of the way the Moon orbits around the Earth and rotate on its own axis. Due to lunar libration, people on Earth can see about 59% of the Moon over time.

• 1944 – Auschwitz-Birkenau Sonderkommando Revolt

  The short-lived rebellion was staged by prisoners who worked at a crematorium after they learned that the Nazis planned to execute most of the squad. The revolt was quickly put down, and over 450 people were killed.

• 1919 – KLM is formed

  The official airline of the Netherlands, Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. or KLM, is the oldest airline that still operates under its original name. The airline’s first flight took place on May 17, 1920 between London and Amsterdam in a leased aeroplane.