1498day.year
On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad.
On his third voyage in 1498, Christopher Columbus became the first European to discover the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean Sea.
During his third expedition westward, Christopher Columbus sighted Trinidad on July 31, 1498. Navigating the Gulf of Paria, he approached from the south and anchored off a peninsula he named 'La Trinidad.' Columbus observed the island’s lush vegetation and friendly indigenous inhabitants. He spent several days exploring its bays and rivers, documenting flora and fauna previously unknown to Europeans. Trinidad would later become a key site for Spanish colonial settlement and trade. Columbus’s discovery expanded European maps of the New World and underscored the vastness of unexplored territories.
1498
Christopher Columbus
Trinidad
1790day.year
The first U.S. patent is issued, to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process.
In 1790, Samuel Hopkins received the first U.S. patent for an innovative process to produce potash from wood ashes.
The Patent Act of 1790 established the United States' first formal system for protecting inventions.
On July 31, 1790, Samuel Hopkins was granted the first U.S. patent for a method of making potash and pearl ash.
Potash, derived from wood ashes, was in high demand for glassmaking, soap, and fertilizer production.
Hopkins’ invention improved yield and efficiency, laying groundwork for America's chemical industry.
The issuance of this patent marked the beginning of American intellectual property rights and innovation.
Since then, millions of patents have spurred technological progress across diverse fields.
1790
patent
Samuel Hopkins
potash
1938day.year
Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius the Great in Persepolis.
In 1938, archaeologists unearthed intricately engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius I’s palace at Persepolis, illuminating Achaemenid artistry.
During excavations at the ancient site of Persepolis in 1938, archaeologists came across exquisite gold and silver plates bearing inscriptions and reliefs.
The artifacts, dating back to the reign of Darius the Great in the 5th century BCE, featured royal iconography and cuneiform texts.
Rediscovered after centuries buried under rubble, the plates offered fresh insight into Achaemenid court rituals and administrative practices.
Detailed engravings depicted ceremonial scenes, emphasizing the empire’s grandeur and religious traditions.
Scholars analyzed the plates to reconstruct aspects of Persian governance, economy, and artistic techniques.
This discovery enhanced understanding of one of antiquity’s most influential empires and attracted global archaeological interest.
The Persepolis plates remain among the most celebrated finds of early 20th-century Near Eastern archaeology.
gold
silver
Darius the Great
Persepolis
1948day.year
USS Nevada is sunk by an aerial torpedo after surviving hits from two atomic bombs (as part of post-war tests) and being used for target practice by three other ships.
In July 1948, the battleship USS Nevada was deliberately sunk during postwar weapons tests after enduring atomic bomb blasts and live-fire exercises.
Having withstood atomic detonations at Bikini Atoll in 1946, USS Nevada was designated for final disposal as a target ship.
On July 31, 1948, an aerial torpedo strike finished off the venerable battleship after gunfire from three vessels.
The operation demonstrated the destructive power of modern naval weapons against hardened warships.
Nevada’s sinking provided crucial data on hull integrity, blast resistance, and damage control techniques.
The tests influenced future naval architecture and underscored the declining role of battleships in the atomic age.
Today, the wreck lies in the Pacific, a testament to the evolution of military technology after World War II.
The USS Nevada’s story reflects both the ship’s storied service and the dawn of a new era in warfare.
USS Nevada
1964day.year
Ranger program: Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photographs of the moon, with images 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from earth-bound telescopes.
Ranger 7, part of NASA's Ranger program, transmitted the first close-up photographs of the moon back to Earth, offering unprecedented clarity.
On July 31, 1964, Ranger 7 flew within 2,000 miles of the moon and began transmitting the first close-up photographs.
The spacecraft sent back over 4,300 images that were about 1,000 times clearer than any previous lunar pictures.
These photos revealed intricate details of craters and surface features, transforming our understanding of the moon.
Ranger 7's successful mission paved the way for the manned Apollo landings by demonstrating reliable deep-space imaging.
It stands as a milestone in NASA's early efforts to explore our nearest celestial neighbor through robotic probes.
1964
Ranger program
Ranger 7
moon
telescopes
1971day.year
Apollo program: the Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover.
Apollo 15 astronauts became the first humans to ride in a lunar rover on July 31, 1971, enhancing lunar exploration.
Apollo 15 was NASA’s fourth crewed mission to land on the moon and the first to include a lunar roving vehicle.
On July 31, 1971, astronauts David Scott and James Irwin drove the rover across the lunar surface, covering over 17 miles.
The vehicle allowed scientists to explore varied geological sites far beyond the landing module’s vicinity.
Its electric-powered design featured collapsible wheels and a television camera for live broadcast to mission control.
The rover’s performance proved critical for future missions, significantly expanding the range of crewed lunar exploration.
Apollo 15’s rover marked a new era in planetary mobility and scientific discovery on the moon.
1971
Apollo program
Apollo 15
lunar rover
1992day.year
Space Shuttle program: Atlantis is launched on STS-46 to deploy the European Retrievable Carrier and the Tethered Satellite System.
Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on STS-46 on July 31, 1992, to deploy ESA’s Retrievable Carrier and test a tethered satellite.
STS-46 marked the 15th mission of Atlantis and the first collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency on a tethered satellite experiment. The crew successfully deployed the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA), which carried scientific experiments into orbit before returning to Earth for analysis. The Tethered Satellite System was intended to extend a 20-kilometer cable to study electrodynamic forces, but only a partial deployment occurred due to mechanical issues. Despite this setback, the mission gathered valuable data on plasma physics and tether dynamics. The flight demonstrated international cooperation in space research and advanced the development of retrieving and reusing orbital platforms. STS-46 helped pave the way for future joint missions and technological innovations in orbit.
Space Shuttle program
Atlantis
STS-46
European Retrievable Carrier
Tethered Satellite System
1999day.year
Discovery Program: Lunar Prospector: NASA intentionally crashes the spacecraft into the Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the Moon's surface.
NASA’s Lunar Prospector mission concluded on July 31, 1999, with a deliberate impact on the Moon to search for evidence of frozen water.
Launched in January 1998, Lunar Prospector spent over a year mapping the Moon’s surface composition, magnetic field, and gravity anomalies. To test for the presence of water ice, mission controllers directed the spacecraft to impact a permanently shadowed crater near the lunar south pole at the end of its operational life. Instruments monitored the impact plume for traces of water vapor, providing insights into the Moon’s potential as a future resource. While the sensors detected only minimal ejecta, the experiment set the stage for more sophisticated lunar water-search missions. Data returned by Lunar Prospector advanced scientific understanding of lunar geology and interior structure. The mission remains a landmark in robotic planetary exploration and resource prospecting.
1999
Discovery Program
Lunar Prospector
NASA