1819day.year
The U.S. vessel SS Savannah arrives at Liverpool, United Kingdom. It is the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, although most of the journey is made under sail.
The SS Savannah completed the first steam-assisted crossing of the Atlantic in June 1819, demonstrating the potential of steam propulsion for long-distance voyages.
Departing from Savannah, Georgia, the brig–steamship SS Savannah combined sail power with a steam engine in a pioneering experiment. Most of the 27-day voyage relied on traditional sails, but the ship’s steam engine proved its reliability when wind was lacking. The arrival in Liverpool signaled a new era in maritime engineering. Although commercial steamship service would take more years to mature, the Savannah’s crossing showcased steam power’s promise to reshape global trade and naval travel. Engineers and investors took note, accelerating the development of true ocean-going steamships.
1819
SS Savannah
Liverpool
Atlantic
1840day.year
Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph.
Samuel Morse was granted the patent for the electric telegraph in June 1840, paving the way for instant long-distance messaging.
Building on earlier electrical experiments, Morse developed a system using pulses of current to transmit coded signals over wire. His patent protected both the apparatus and the code that would bear his name. The telegraph revolutionized communication, allowing news and commercial data to cross continents in minutes rather than days. Railways, newspapers, and governments quickly adopted the technology, shrinking the world and laying the groundwork for our modern information age. Morse’s innovation is celebrated as one of the 19th century’s greatest breakthroughs.
1840
Samuel Morse
telegraph
1877day.year
Alexander Graham Bell installs the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Alexander Graham Bell established the first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, in June 1877, transforming personal and business communication.
Following his invention of the telephone in 1876, Bell and his partners launched a paid service linking local subscribers in Hamilton. The initial network connected a fire station, a newspaper office, and other businesses. This pioneering system demonstrated the telephone’s commercial viability and spurred rapid expansion in North America and Europe. Bell Telephone Company grew into a telecommunications giant, shaping global connectivity. The Hamilton installation is commemorated as the birthplace of the modern telephone industry.
1877
Alexander Graham Bell
telephone
Hamilton, Ontario
1900day.year
Baron Eduard Toll, leader of the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900, departs Saint Petersburg in Russia on the explorer ship Zarya, never to return.
Explorer Baron Eduard Toll embarks on the Russian Polar Expedition aboard the Zarya and vanishes.
On June 20, 1900, Baron Eduard Toll, a distinguished Russian geologist and Arctic explorer, set sail from Saint Petersburg aboard the specially designed ship Zarya.
His mission aimed to chart uncharted northern archipelagos and conduct meteorological and geological research.
Despite careful planning, the expedition encountered brutal ice conditions and severe weather.
In late 1902, Toll and three companions left the Zarya to search for the mythical Sannikov Land and were never heard from again.
Their disappearance remains one of polar exploration’s great mysteries,
capturing the imagination of future generations and highlighting the perils of early Arctic travel.
Eduard Toll
Russian Polar Expedition of 1900
Saint Petersburg
Zarya
1944day.year
The experimental MW 18014 V-2 rocket reaches an altitude of 176 km, becoming the first man-made object to reach outer space.
The V-2 rocket MW 18014 reaches 176 km altitude, becoming the first human-made object in space.
On June 20, 1944, Nazi Germany’s experimental V-2 rocket MW 18014 ascended to 176 kilometers, surpassing the Kármán line and entering outer space.
Developed under Wernher von Braun’s leadership, the rocket demonstrated unprecedented propulsion and guidance capabilities.
Although designed as a weapon, the flight provided critical data on high-altitude aerodynamics.
After the war, captured V-2 technology became the foundation for American and Soviet rocketry programs.
This mission marked a historic breakthrough, signaling the dawn of the space age.
The V-2’s legacy paved the way for satellites and crewed spaceflight in the following decades.
MW 18014
V-2 rocket
1945day.year
The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip.
On June 20, 1945, the United States approved Operation Paperclip, transferring Wernher von Braun and other Nazi rocket scientists to America.
Operation Paperclip was a top-secret US program to recruit German rocket experts after WWII.
On June 20, 1945, the United States Secretary of State officially approved the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team to America.
These scientists had developed the V-2 rocket for Nazi Germany during the war.
Under the agreement, von Braun and over a hundred specialists were brought to the US to support military and aerospace projects.
Von Braun would later become a leading figure at NASA, driving the development of the Saturn V launch vehicle that took astronauts to the Moon.
Operation Paperclip fueled the burgeoning Cold War arms and space race against the Soviet Union.
The program remains controversial for allowing former Nazi affiliates to continue their careers in the United States.
1945
United States Secretary of State
Wernher von Braun
Operation Paperclip
1990day.year
Asteroid Eureka is discovered.
In 1990, astronomer David H. Levy discovers 5261 Eureka, the first known Trojan asteroid sharing Mars’s orbit.
Designated 5261 Eureka, this asteroid was identified by David H. Levy at Palomar Observatory on June 20, 1990. Eureka occupies a stable Lagrange point alongside Mars, making it the first recognized Mars Trojan. Its unique orbit and composition have provided scientists with valuable clues about early solar system dynamics and planetary migration. Subsequent observations revealed a small family of related asteroids trailing and leading Mars. Eureka’s discovery opened a new chapter in the study of co-orbital bodies and continues to inform models of asteroid capture and long-term orbital stability.
1990
Asteroid
Eureka
1996day.year
Space Shuttle Columbia launches on STS-78 to conduct life science and microgravity research aboard the Spacelab module.
NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off on mission STS-78 in 1996, carrying Spacelab for advanced life science and microgravity experiments.
STS-78, launched on June 20, 1996, marked the longest shuttle mission at that time, lasting nearly 16 days. Aboard Columbia, a crew of seven conducted over 40 experiments in the European Space Agency’s Spacelab module, focusing on human physiology, cell biology, fluid physics, and materials science under microgravity conditions. The mission’s findings expanded knowledge of how the human body adapts to space and informed the design of life support systems for the International Space Station. It also tested technologies for long-duration spaceflight. Columbia returned to Earth with invaluable data that continues to shape biomedical research and space exploration planning.
1996
Space Shuttle Columbia
STS-78
Spacelab