May 19

In 1743, French scientist Jean-Pierre Christin introduced the centigrade temperature scale. He proposed dividing the interval between freezing and boiling of water into 100 equal parts. This scale offered a straightforward and scientific approach to temperature measurement. It was independently popularized by Anders Celsius and became known worldwide. The centigrade scale remains fundamental in weather forecasts, scientific research, and industry. Christin’s work paved the way for standardized temperature units in modern science.

In 1845, Sir John Franklin set sail from Greenhithe, England, on his ill-fated Arctic expedition. Aboard HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, his crew aimed to chart the Northwest Passage. Franklin was a seasoned explorer, but the Arctic’s harsh conditions proved daunting. The expedition vanished, sparking years of searches and enduring mystery. Artifacts and accounts eventually revealed the fate of the ships and crew. Franklin’s voyage remains one of history’s most haunting tales of maritime exploration.

Venera 1, launched by the USSR on February 12, 1961, achieved a historic milestone on May 19, 1961, by making the first controlled flyby of another planet. Although communication was lost a month earlier, the probe continued on its trajectory past Venus, missing by approximately 100,000 kilometers. This mission marked the Soviet Union's entry into deep space exploration and paved the way for future planetary probes. The lack of returned data was a setback, but the technical achievement demonstrated the feasibility of interplanetary travel. Venera 1's legacy inspired successive Venera missions that eventually landed on and returned images from Venus's hostile surface. Its journey still represents a bold step in humanity's quest to explore the solar system.

On May 19, 1971, the Soviet Union launched Mars 2 from Baikonur Cosmodrome as part of its ambitious Mars probe program. The mission aimed to place an orbiter around Mars and deploy a lander to the surface. While the orbiter successfully entered Martian orbit, the lander spun out of control and crash-landed. Despite this, the orbiter transmitted valuable data on the Martian atmosphere and surface for several months. Mars 2 marked a significant step in interplanetary exploration and laid foundations for future missions to the Red Planet.

On May 19, 1996, NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off on mission STS-77 from Kennedy Space Center. The crew carried a variety of experiments focused on microgravity science and materials processing. A notable element of the flight was the deployment and retrieval of inflatable space structures. Endeavour also tested satellite refueling techniques using the Wake Shield Facility. The 10-day mission returned numerous data sets that advanced space manufacturing concepts. STS-77 represented a stride toward harnessing orbital environments for commercial and scientific applications.

On May 19, 2000, NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis departed from Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-101. The primary goal was to resupply and prepare the International Space Station for future crews. Astronauts delivered critical equipment, including air revitalization systems and exercise hardware. They performed four spacewalks to install communication and power modules on the station exterior. STS-101 strengthened ISS infrastructure and ensured the safety of subsequent assembly missions. The flight underscored international cooperation in the construction of humanity’s first permanent orbital outpost.