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The distance from Earth to Mars fluctuates between approximately 35 million mi (56 million km) and 63 million mi (101 million km). In 1999, NASA's Mars Polar Lander, on a mission to analyse soil samples, made the long journey to the Red Planet only to fail to re-establish communications following its entry into Mars's atmosphere. After the lander was declared lost, an investigation determined that it likely crashed onto the Martian surface.
How long did it take the lander to reach Mars? More...
1994 - Millions of people from the former Apartheid Homelands gain South African citizenship
The apartheid regime had stripped the black inhabitants of the right to citizenship to ensure a white majority of the de jure population.
1993 - The second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II) is signed
The U.S.A. and Russia agreed to reduce the number of nuclear warheads by about 3,000.
1961 - The United States breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba
In April 1961, the U.S. government launched an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Cuban government by invading the country at the bay of pigs.
1959 - Alaska becomes the 49th U.S. state
The territory had been bought from Russia in 1867 for a mere $7.2 million.
1957 - The first electric watch is available
The Hamilton Electric 500 came in “modern” asymmetrical designs to reflect the revolutionary technology.
Historic Trivia pick - Oscar
THE CAT WHO SANK THE BISMARCK - ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER VESSELS
In May 1941, at the height of World War II, the mighty German battleship Bismarck was given orders to sail into the North Atlantic and attack the vast naval convoys hauling vital supplies from Canada and the United States to Great Britain. The Bismarck, considered one of the most powerful warships afloat, was uniquely qualified for the task. The British Royal Navy, desperate to preserve its lifeline to the New World, confronted the mighty ship as soon as it put to sea. After a bloody three-day fight, the vessel was pounded into scrap metal and sunk. Only a handful of its crew of thousands survived.
The lucky ones included the ship's cat, Oscar, who was picked up by the destroyer HMS Cossack. The crew renamed the black feline with the white chest Unsinkable Sam and made him their mascot. But there was nothing lucky about Sam. Within five months the Cossack was torpedoed by a German submarine and sent to the bottom of the sea. Again, the survivors included the cat, who took up residence on the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. But only three weeks later, the Ark Royal was also torpedoed and sunk. Perhaps it was a sort of vengeance: One of the aircraft carrier's torpedo bombers had been responsible for damage to the [Bismarck's[/i] rudder, allowing Oscar's original home to be caught and destroyed.
Eerily, the feline once more escaped Davy Jones's locker, to be picked up by the destroyer HMS Legion. The authorities, perhaps afraid to let any creature so patently unlucky aboard another Royal Navy vessel, "retired" Oscar/Sam to dry land. He finished his long life at an old sailors' home in Belfast, passing away in 1955. Happily, he took no ships with him.
NASA's Mars Polar Lander Launched
The distance from Earth to Mars fluctuates between approximately 35 million mi (56 million km) and 63 million mi (101 million km). In 1999, NASA's Mars Polar Lander, on a mission to analyse soil samples, made the long journey to the Red Planet only to fail to re-establish communications following its entry into Mars's atmosphere. After the lander was declared lost, an investigation determined that it likely crashed onto the Martian surface.
How long did it take the lander to reach Mars? More...
1994 - Millions of people from the former Apartheid Homelands gain South African citizenship
The apartheid regime had stripped the black inhabitants of the right to citizenship to ensure a white majority of the de jure population.
1993 - The second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II) is signed
The U.S.A. and Russia agreed to reduce the number of nuclear warheads by about 3,000.
1961 - The United States breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba
In April 1961, the U.S. government launched an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Cuban government by invading the country at the bay of pigs.
1959 - Alaska becomes the 49th U.S. state
The territory had been bought from Russia in 1867 for a mere $7.2 million.
1957 - The first electric watch is available
The Hamilton Electric 500 came in “modern” asymmetrical designs to reflect the revolutionary technology.
Historic Trivia pick - OscarTHE CAT WHO SANK THE BISMARCK - ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER VESSELS
In May 1941, at the height of World War II, the mighty German battleship Bismarck was given orders to sail into the North Atlantic and attack the vast naval convoys hauling vital supplies from Canada and the United States to Great Britain. The Bismarck, considered one of the most powerful warships afloat, was uniquely qualified for the task. The British Royal Navy, desperate to preserve its lifeline to the New World, confronted the mighty ship as soon as it put to sea. After a bloody three-day fight, the vessel was pounded into scrap metal and sunk. Only a handful of its crew of thousands survived.
The lucky ones included the ship's cat, Oscar, who was picked up by the destroyer HMS Cossack. The crew renamed the black feline with the white chest Unsinkable Sam and made him their mascot. But there was nothing lucky about Sam. Within five months the Cossack was torpedoed by a German submarine and sent to the bottom of the sea. Again, the survivors included the cat, who took up residence on the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. But only three weeks later, the Ark Royal was also torpedoed and sunk. Perhaps it was a sort of vengeance: One of the aircraft carrier's torpedo bombers had been responsible for damage to the [Bismarck's[/i] rudder, allowing Oscar's original home to be caught and destroyed.
Eerily, the feline once more escaped Davy Jones's locker, to be picked up by the destroyer HMS Legion. The authorities, perhaps afraid to let any creature so patently unlucky aboard another Royal Navy vessel, "retired" Oscar/Sam to dry land. He finished his long life at an old sailors' home in Belfast, passing away in 1955. Happily, he took no ships with him.
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61-BLUES
