This Day In History, November 2nd.
Five Historical Events That Happened on November 2nd
On November 2, 1895, the first gasoline-powered race in the United States was held. The event was 54 miles long and took place in Chicago.
On November 2, 1947, Howard Hughes flew his gigantic airplane, the Spruce Goose, for the first and only time. The flight was little over a minute long and reached a height of 70 feet.
On November 2, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, the second artificial satellite into orbit around the Earth. Laika, the dog on the satellite, became the first animal to circle the Earth.
On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday. The holiday falls on the third Monday of January.
On November 2, 2000, the first crew arrived at the International Space Station. Two cosmonauts, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, and one astronaut, William Shepherd, made up the crew.
1895: The first gasoline-powered race in the United States took place on November 2, 1895. The race was held in Chicago and covered a distance of 54 miles
The Chicago Times-Herald race was staged to demonstrate the promise of the vehicle as a viable form of transportation. The 54-mile race route began in Chicago and finished in Evanston. J. Frank Duryea won the race, completing the circuit in little over 10 hours at an average speed of roughly 5 miles per hour.
1947: The Spruce Goose, a massive airplane designed and built by Howard Hughes, made its first and only flight on November 2, 1947. The flight lasted for just over one minute and reached an altitude of 70 feet.
The Spruce Goose, formally known as the Hughes H-4 Hercules, was a large transport aircraft prototype conceived and built in the 1940s by Howard Hughes and his team. With a wingspan of 320 feet and a length of 218 feet, it was one of the biggest airplanes ever built. The plane was largely composed of wood, thus the nickname "Spruce Goose." The Spruce Goose's first and only flight took place on November 2, 1947, at Long Beach, California. The plane flew for slightly over a minute, reaching a height of 70 feet and a speed of around 80 miles per hour.
1957: The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, the second artificial satellite to be sent into orbit around the Earth, on November 2, 1957. The satellite carried a dog named Laika, who became the first animal to orbit the Earth.
On November 3, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, which contained a dog called Laika, who became the first animal to circle the Earth. Laika was a stray dog from Moscow's streets who was picked for the mission due to her tiny size and calm disposition. Unfortunately, there was no means to return Laika to Earth, and she perished shortly after launch from overheating caused by a fault in the spacecraft's temperature control system. The mission generated public concern about animal welfare in space exploration, as well as marking a key milestone in the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States.
1983: President Ronald Reagan signed a bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday on November 2, 1983. The holiday is celebrated on the third Monday in January.
On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation designating the third Monday in January as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday in his honor. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is honored in the United States every year on the third Monday in January, which is close to King's birthday on January 15. The holiday commemorates Martin Luther King Jr.'s achievements to the civil rights struggle as well as his teachings of peaceful resistance and societal transformation. It is also a day of service, with many Americans giving back to their communities in order to celebrate King's legacy.
2000: The first crew arrived at the International Space Station on November 2, 2000. The crew consisted of two cosmonauts, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, and one astronaut, William Shepherd.
The first crew landed at the International Space Station (ISS), a livable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit, on November 2, 2000. The crew included two Russian cosmonauts, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, as well as one American, William Shepherd. They arrived to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which docked with the station two days after taking out from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome. The crew spent nearly five months aboard the ISS conducting scientific experiments and doing station maintenance. This historic voyage marked the commencement of a continuous human presence on the multinational Space Station, which has since been staffed by multinational crews.