1588day.year
Thomas Cavendish in his ship Desire enters Plymouth and completes the first deliberately planned voyage of circumnavigation.
In 1588, English explorer Thomas Cavendish completed the first intentionally planned circumnavigation of the globe, returning to Plymouth aboard the Desire.
In July 1586, English privateer Thomas Cavendish departed Plymouth in his ship Desire, intent on a planned circumnavigation of the globe.
Over the next two years, he raided Spanish vessels along the Pacific coast before crossing the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
Cavendish rounded Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, demonstrating skilled command of the seas.
He faced storms, crew mutinies, and scurvy, yet continued his voyage with determination.
On September 9, 1588, Desire returned to Plymouth, completing the first intentionally planned English circumnavigation.
The expedition boosted England’s maritime prestige and inspired future explorers.
Cavendish’s success cemented his reputation as a pioneering navigator.
1588
Thomas Cavendish
Desire
Plymouth
voyage of circumnavigation
1839day.year
John Herschel takes the first glass plate photograph.
Astronomer John Herschel produced the first glass plate photograph in 1839, advancing early photography techniques.
In the early days of photography, Sir John Herschel experimented with more durable image substrates.
On September 9, 1839, he made the first successful photograph on a glass plate coated with light-sensitive chemicals.
This 'glass plate' technique offered sharper images and greater longevity than paper negatives.
Herschel’s process paved the way for widespread adoption of glass plates in portrait and scientific photography.
He also coined the term 'photography' and discovered the cyanotype process.
As both a respected astronomer and chemist, Herschel’s innovations bridged science and art in the Victorian era.
1839
John Herschel
photograph
1892day.year
Amalthea becomes the last moon to be discovered without the use of photography.
Astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard visually discovered Amalthea on September 9, 1892, the last moon found without photographic aid.
Amalthea is the fifth moon of Jupiter and the last satellite discovered by direct observation.
Barnard used a 36-inch refracting telescope at the Lick Observatory to spot the faint object.
Photographic techniques soon replaced visual surveys, making Amalthea's discovery the end of an era.
The moon's irregular shape and proximity to Jupiter offered new insights into planetary ring formation.
Amalthea's albedo and composition suggested it may be a captured asteroid.
Subsequent spacecraft observations refined our understanding of this small Jovian satellite.
1892
Amalthea
1940day.year
George Stibitz pioneers the first remote operation of a computer.
American mathematician George Stibitz performed the first remote operation of a computer in 1940.
George Stibitz, a researcher at Bell Labs, demonstrated remote computing by sending teleprinter commands to a calculator in New York City from Dartmouth College.
This experiment marked the first instance of operating a computer via a communication line.
The demonstration used a teletype machine to control the Complex Number Calculator (CNC).
Stibitz's work laid the groundwork for interactive computing and time-sharing systems.
It is celebrated as a milestone in the development of networked computer technology.
1940
George Stibitz
1947day.year
First case of a computer bug being found: A moth lodges in a relay of a Harvard Mark II computer at Harvard University.
Engineers discovered the first recorded computer 'bug' when a moth was found inside the Harvard Mark II relay.
On 9 September 1947, operators of the Harvard Mark II electromechanical computer encountered an error traced to a dead moth lodged in a relay.
Grace Hopper and her team removed the insect and taped it into the logbook, coining the term "bug" for system faults.
This incident is celebrated as the first documented computer debugging.
The Harvard moth remains preserved at the Smithsonian Institution.
The story endures as a charming origin for terminology still used in software engineering today.
1947
computer bug
moth
relay
Harvard Mark II
Harvard University
1994day.year
Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-64.
Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off on mission STS-64 to conduct experimental operations in Earth orbit.
On September 9, 1994, Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off on mission STS-64.
The flight focused on deploying and retrieving experimental satellites and instruments.
Astronauts conducted the first untethered spacewalk in over a decade using SAFER jets.
The mission tested environmental research payloads, including Lidar for atmospheric studies.
Discovery orbited Earth for nine days before safely returning to Kennedy Space Center.
STS-64 contributed valuable data for future manned spaceflight and Earth observation.
1994
Space Shuttle program
Space Shuttle Discovery
STS-64
2006day.year
Space Shuttle Program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-115 to resume assembling the International Space Station. It is the first ISS assembly mission after the Columbia disaster back in 2003.
Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-115 to resume ISS assembly, the first such mission since the Columbia disaster.
On September 9, 2006, Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on mission STS-115.
This flight marked the resumption of International Space Station assembly after the Columbia disaster.
Atlantis delivered and installed the P3/P4 truss segments to expand the station’s power grid.
Astronauts performed three spacewalks to connect electrical systems and prepare future modules.
The mission reinforced NASA’s commitment to ISS completion despite earlier setbacks.
Atlantis safely returned to Earth after a 12-day mission that advanced station construction.
2006
Space Shuttle Atlantis
STS-115
assembling the International Space Station
Columbia disaster
2012day.year
The Indian space agency puts into orbit its heaviest foreign satellite yet, in a streak of 21 consecutive successful PSLV launches.
ISRO launches its heaviest foreign satellite to date aboard a PSLV rocket, marking its 21st consecutive successful mission.
On September 9, 2012, the Indian Space Research Organisation launched its heaviest foreign satellite to date aboard a PSLV rocket.
This mission marked ISRO’s 21st consecutive successful PSLV launch.
The powerful vehicle placed the satellite into a precise polar orbit for international clients.
It demonstrated India’s growing reputation in affordable and reliable satellite deployment.
The launch strengthened commercial partnerships and global confidence in ISRO’s services.
It paved the way for future international collaborations and technological advancements.
2012
Indian space agency
heaviest
PSLV