Day Tripping: April 12

Obituaries, Orbiters, and More Orbiters

Untimely End

Only weeks away from an Allied victory over Nazi Germany, President Franklin D. Roosevelt died suddenly while in Georgia. A painter named Elizabeth Shoumatoff was beginning her portrait of the President and while at lunch, he complained of “terrific pain in the back of my head”.

FDR died that day of a cerebral haemorrhage and Vice President Harry S. Truman was sworn in as President. The painting was never completed.

Major First

On the heels of launching the world's first space satellite four years earlier, the Soviet Union took another fist step in the Cold War Space Race by putting a man in Earth’s orbit in 1961. Cosmonaut Yuri Sagarin became a national hero as was not only the first human in space but also the first to complete a full orbit of the planet which took 89 minutes.

Gagarin’s entire flight in Vostok 1 lasted 108 minutes though the craft was supplied with ten days of provisions in case of emergency. OK.

Sadly, Yuri Gagarin died less than seven years later during a test flight of a new MiG fighter jet. US Apollo 11 astronauts left a commemorative plaque bearing Gagarin’s name on the moon one year later.

Beginning of a New Era

The first space shuttle, Columbia, or STS-1, was successfully launched in 1981, exactly twenty years to the day from Yuri Gagarin’s first space flight. The world’s first re-serviceable spacecraft was commanded by John Young and piloted by Robert Crippen. The maiden flight lasted just over two days with the shuttle landing safely at Edwards Airforce Base in California.

Columbia went on to fly 22 missions in space, but tragically disintegrated during re-entry in 2003 and killing all seven of the ship’s crew. The Space shuttle program was eventually cancelled by President George W. Bush in 2010.

Musical Milestones

After teaching Grover how to sing on Sesame Street, Stevie Wonder and his full band perform a seven-minute version of his hit song, Superstition on the show in 1973. Wonder is the biggest act to appear in Sesame Street’s four-year history and by far, the funkiest.

Narratives

Founding member of the Yippies (Youth International Party) and one of the famed Chicago 7 political activists, Abbie Hoffman died in 1989 at age 52.

Remembrance

Two of boxing’s greatest champions died on the same calendar day. Joe Louis was the World Heavyweight Champion for twelve years. ‘The Brown Bomber’ died in 1981. Sugar Ray Robinson reigned as both World Welterweight, and World Middleweight Champion during his illustrious career. He is often regarded as the pound-for-pound greatest fighter of all time. He passed away in 1989.

Notable Births

1940 — Herbie Hancock is a jazz composer and pianist who has played with the great Miles Davis and other greats.

1947 — One-time insurance agent who became a best-selling Spy Thriller novelist, Tom Clancy.

1947 — Comedian and late-night talk show host David Letterman.

K. Barrett Katie Wallace Maria Rattray Maryam Merchant Dr Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, PhD. Terry Trueman Dr Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate James G Brennan ScienceDuuude Marcus Liam Ireland Claire Kelly Noorain Hassan, BMS Amy Pierovich David Acaster

Be sure to stop by my comprehensive Directory of all past Day Trips.

The Story Of Day Tripping Through History What’s Past Is Often Present