Millions protested the Vietnam War in the US (1969). China launched its first manned space mission (2003). Khrushchev was ousted from power in the Soviet Union (1964). The first human ascent took place in a hot air balloon (1783). Pierre Laval was executed for treason in France (1945). Progestin was synthesized for the first time (1951). The first draft card was burned in protest of the Vietnam War (1965). The world’s first supersonic land speed record was set (1997). Fortran, the first modern computer language, was introduced (1956). Gorbachev and Mandela/de Klerk won Nobel Peace Prizes (1990/1993).
The US Vietnam Moratorium march took place. (1969) In one of the largest protest demonstrations in US history, millions of Americans gathered at the White House and in cities across the nation to protest continued US involvement in the Vietnam War. The war wouldn’t end for six more years.
China became the third country in the world capable of manned spaceflight. (2003) Shenzhou 5, China’s first manned mission lasted just over 21 hours.
Soviet leader Nikita S. Khrushchev was ousted from power. (1964) Khrushchev’s seat was replaced two people: Alexei N. Kosygin as prime minister and Leonid Brezhnev as the leader of the Soviet Communist Party. Some surmise Khrushchev was removed due to his age and possible health issues; others suggest his fall from power was linked to the conflict between the Soviet Union and China.
The first recorded human ascent took place. (1783) French chemistry and physics teacher Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier made the first human ascent in a tethered hot air balloon designed the Montgolfier brothers. He would also pilot the first untethered hot air balloon flight later that same year.
Pierre Laval, leader of the Vichy regime in France, was executed for treason. (1945) Laval led the French Nazi party after negotiating an armistice with Nazi Germany. He was forced to flee when the Allies liberated France but was caught hiding in Austria after the end of World War II. Laval was extradited to France, where his execution took place.
Progestin was first synthesized. (1951) Luis E. Miramontes, a Mexican chemist, synthesized the hormone that would be used to make the first oral contraceptives.
In a protest of the Vietnam War, the first draft card was burned in the US. (1965) David Miller, a catholic priest in New York and member of the National Coordinating Committee to End the War in Vietnam, violated a new US law and set his draft card on fire. He was arrested and spent two years in prison.
The world’s first supersonic land speed record was set. (1997) Andy Green, an air force pilot in the British military, set the record in the jet-propelled car ThrustSSC. His sound-barrier-breaking record clocked in at 1,223.657 miles per hour (about 760.343 kilometers per hour).
The first modern computer language was publicly introduced for the first time. (1956) IBM developed the language, Fortran, and shared it with coding communities for the first time.
Mikhail Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. (1990) The Soviet leader won the prize for his work to bring an end to the Cold War and establish peaceful relations with the US and other countries.
Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize. (1993) The prize was awarded for work done to bring an end to South African apartheid.
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